America's Little Girl
by Well Groomed Goldfish
Summary: The story of Alfred's daughter...who no, is not a state. OCs.
1. Chapter 1

**Okkkkk...so I know I'm currently juggling two other fics; "The Secret" and "Spider's Web" and i really, really should not try to take on another one...but this idea wouldn't just leave me alone. Plus, "Spider's Web" is basically done sooo....**

**Also, I'm worried that my OCs will just be fail, b/c honestly, I really don't like OCs, and yea....**

**Since my summary probably sucked, the basis of the story is this: Alfred sleeps with a regular person, has a kid with her, but, being the US, can't really stick around. so he leaves and the kid grows up fatherless. ;A; **

**Ah. Whatever. This idea was stuck in my head, it wouldn't go away, and I needed a break from studying. Hope you ejoy~**

**Ch. 1**

* * *

There was a resounding splash as the girl went flying into the pool, her arms flailing wildly, and laughter pouring out of her mouth. Water flew everywhere, and a second later, she surfaced, still grinning. Her blonde hair was plastered to the side of her face and bright blue eyes twinkled in mirth as she mock-glared at the other girl who had shoved her in, "Aliceeee" she whined, cupping her hands together and squirting the other girl with a jet of water, "That wasn't very nice!"

The girl who had shoved her giggled, flinching as the spray of water hit her face, dead-on, "Oh c'mon Martie!" she responded, shaking her head, her black hair splaying out as she did so, "It was revenge. Revenge for last week."

Still giggling, the girl in the water, Martie, swam to the side of the pool and reaching over the side, grabbed her cap and goggles, "Coach's gonna get mad if he sees you do that again" she teased, pulling the cap over her already damp hair.

The girl on the deck, Alice, rolled her eyes. Tying up her straight hair into a ponytail, she sat down on the side of the pool, so she could better talk to the girl in the water, "Of course. He would be furious if our star swimmier, Martha Hamilton, was injured the week before state. How absolutely tragic."

Martie made a face at Alice, "Don't call me that name" she complained, "It's so old-fashioned. And you know you're not too shabby of a swimmer yourself. C'mon. Who swims under a 1:05 in her hundred breast? Certainly not me."

"You go under a :50 in your hundred free, and under a 4:50 in your five hundred" Alice retorted, "You're one of the fastest female swimmers in the state…not to mention you're a freaking beast in the weight room…you've got some of the _guys_ whipped, you know that?"

Martie grinned, "I'm going to be the female Michael Phelps!" she proclaimed, bobbing her head up and down enthusiastically.

"Then you better get going" a voice interrupted the two girls, and they looked up into the stern face of their coach, "You're already five minutes behind schedule. Now go. You know the warm-up. Four-three-two-one."

Groaning, Martie slipped her goggles on and pushed off the wall before, stroking smoothly and falling into rhythm.

* * *

After practice, the swim team showered the changed in the locker room, Martie standing by Alice as she pulled her clothes on. "I hate being a swimmer" she groaned, as she poked at her chest, "Look. No breasts whatsoever. Instead I get these…" she scowled, pointing at her thighs, "And these" she continued, indicating towards her shoulders.

Alice shrugged, "I've got no breasts either."

"Yea, but you're so thin!" Martie whined, "I mean…look at me! I'm freaking thick!"

"Well, your main strokes are free and fly" Alice retorted, as she pulled her pants on.

"Uggh. Whatever"Martie shook her head And I hate morning practice…we now have to go to school…and fuck. Did we have a calc test today?"

Alice nodded, sighing, "You didn't study again, huh?" she asked as Martie began frantically rifling through her backpack.

"Well…I…ahhh!" she shook her head in frustration, "They were having a _Star Wars_ marathon last night! How could I resist!?"

"I don't know." Alice responded dryly as she combed her fine dark hair, "I somehow manage."

"Well duh you manage" Martie said, rolling her eyes, "You're _Asian_. Meaning you're some super-genius in math and science, and if you get a B on a test, god forbid, you bring such dishonor to your family. Y'know, like that song in Mulan?"

As Martie began singing a rather off-pitch rendition of said song, Alice smiled before putting her comb in her bag and joining along. They had only gotten maybe three lines into the song when a shampoo bottle from one of the other swimmers went flying in their direction. Giggling, they dodged it and, grabbing their backpacks, ran out of the locker room to their first periods.

* * *

"I failed that." Martie moaned, dragging her feet along, "I swear, I completely and totally, one _hundred_ percent failed that."

The two girls were walking home after school, to a series of apartments only a few blocks from the school itself.

"Well it would help if you studied" Alice chided gently, "What did you get on the APUSH test, by the way?"

"Oh that?" Martie shrugged, "110 percent."

Alice was silent, a small frowning setting over her oriental features, and Martie grinned, leaning over slightly to see her face better, "Well? What did you get?"

"…98"

"AHA!" jumping, Martie laughed aloud, pointing a finger at her friend, "Again, Martie triumphs! I'm tellin' ya, Alice, there's nobody out there who knows history like I do. _Especially_ the history of the United States of Awesome!"

"I studied so hard for that one too." Alice scowled, looking away, "Damnit, I thought I had you beat!"

"Nu-huh" Martie shook her head, "Nobody can beat me in APUSH. IT's _my_ subject. If it makes you feel any better though, I'm barely passing Lang. Coach is freaking out."

"What?!" Alice looked surprised, "Martie, if you fail Lang, you won't be able to compete at state next week!"

"I know, I know" Martie moaned, "But I hate the books we're reading now….Seriously, I just _can't_ read Shakespeare…ahhh! Why do we have to do a whole unit on that guy!?"

"Because he's a great literary author. I dunno" Alice shrugged.

"Yea. Well. We're at my place" Martie said, stopping, "It's so great to be on taper…we can just go straight home after school instead of doing dry land and swim practice. I've got homework to do, so I'll see you later?"

"Yea" Alice nodded, "Later"

Waving good-bye to her friend, Martie let herself into the small apartment she shared with her mother. Not to her surprise, her mother was not at home, but at work. Plopping her backpack onto the kitchen table, Martie sighed, frowning slightly. She lived alone with her mother in the tiny, one bedroom apartment, and though she hated to admit it, knew nothing of her father, save his first name. Alfred.

Her mother had met her father through the military, and well, one thing led to another, and she had Martie. "Your father was insistent on naming you Martha when you were born" her mother had explained, smiling wearily one night when Martie had complained to her mother about her name. "Martha Abigail Hamilton." If that wasn't the most old-fashioned name in the world, she didn't know what was.

Grabbing a soda from the kitchen, she shook her head. She had never met her father, but had already decided she didn't like him. What kind of scum ditched a woman with a child? "You're just like him, you know" her mother had said one night, "He loved history too, and his knowledge of the subject, especially American history was just…astounding. You have the same eyes…same hair."

Martie had been so young when this conversation had taken place, but even then she had decided she did not like her father, "I'm not like him" she said earnestly, "I wouldn't ditch a woman I made pregnant. (She hadn't quite understood the mechanisms of children making then…) So please. Don't compare me to him."

She sighed, dropping down on the couch, soda in one hand. She knew that her birth had destroyed her mother's life, and now, she was forced to hold down some crappy job as a secretary or something of the sort. Either way, she always came home late, terribly so…Martie was usually asleep by the time she came home, and on more than one occasion, had been awoken to the sound of her mother's tears.

However, despite being an only mother raising a child, they had somehow made it. Martie's mother had always been terribly lucky with the government. Often, checks would appear in the mail for no apparent reason, or their tax refunds would be ludicrously high. Martie's mother had gone in more than once to check with the local government if the paperwork had been done correctly, or if this check for "backyard beautification" was really for her when, well, she didn't own a backyard, but each time had been reassured that the money was hers. It was strange, really, as if some unseen force was working from within the government to make life easier for Martie and her mother.

* * *

Martie had been swimming her entire life. From childhood, she had been attracted to the water, and as she aged, her devotion only grew. As a freestyler and butterflyer, she was rather stocky, with huge shoulders and thick thighs. Her appetite was insatiable, but since she exercised about six hours a day, becoming overweight had never really been an issue. Her coach had tried time and time again to get her to eat healthy, but after discovering that the local McDonald's workers knew her on a first-name basis, he had given up.

"Please try to eat halfway decently on this trip" her coach begged as she climbed aboard the bus headed to state.

"Sure thing!" she nodded, throwing her bag onto the seat next to her before clambering over to where Alice sat.

The ride to the state avenue was rather uneventful, the only major issue was when some of the girls managed to get the coach's number and posted it to the side of the bus with "Call me for a great time" written under it in very girly handwriting. They pulled into the hotel around six, ate, then retired for the night. The next morning was prelims, and though Martie was pretty much a shoo-in, she wanted to be well-rested for her events.

* * *

The next morning, they awoke, and drove to the pool, screaming school cheers as they pulled up to the venue. They clambered out of the bus, had their warm-up, and then Martie, accompanied by Alice, went into the locker rooms to change into their meet suits. Throwing her bag onto one of the benches, Martie reached into it and pulled out her pride and joy; a full body Speedo fastskin. It was a relatively cheap one, perhaps only two hundred dollars, but Martie had worked for every single penny of it. "Oi. Amy" Martie said, looking over to her friend, "Help me get this thing on."

After about ten minutes of straining and tugging, the swimsuit was finally in place, "It's so tight" Martie complained, feeling the suit cut into her shoulder.

"Yes, well, apparently if the tighter the swimsuit the faster you go" Alice responded, "Maybe it's because it cuts out all your air, and you can't breathe? Then you get really desperate and swim faster. I don't know."

It wasn't long after until the meet was finally underway. Martie was swimming the maximum four events; 200 free, 500 free, 200 free relay and 400 free relay. "So…basically I'm swimming every freestyle event possible. I mean, I swim the 50 and the 100 in the relays…"

"Basically" Alice nodded.

The meet ran relatively smoothly, and Martie managed to final in almost all her events. After the 200 free, Alice came jogging over to her, smiling wickedly as Martie toweled off.

"Look over my shoulder." Alice whispered s she hugged her friend, "Ahh! But do it in a sneaky way! Not so open!"

"What's over your shoulder?" Martie asked, totally nonplussed.

"There's a really hot guy in the stands; do you see him? I said don't look openly!"

Martie looked up at the stand through her eyelashes. It was mostly comprised of screaming parents, accompanied by children screaming even louder, but as her eyes roved over the faces, one in particular caught her attention. It was a blonde man, rather handsome, with blue eyes and glasses. He was dressed casually, in a t-shirt and jeans, and there was a single strange strand of hair on his head that stuck up at an odd angle, "Do you mean the blonde with glasses?" Martie whispered into Alice's ear.

"Yes! So do you see him?"

"Yes"

Pulling away, Alice grinned wickedly, "He's been totally staring at you all meet." She said, "Like seriously, I walked past him a few times when you were swimming, and he was totally cheering for you! Do you know him?"

Martie frowned shaking her head slightly, "No…no. I've never seen him before…but…I feel as if I should. Does that make any sense?"

"Maybe it's clairvoyance or something!" Alice squealed, looking delighted, "Maybe you two were destined to be together! Oh! Martie's found a hot boyfriend~"

"No, you moron!" Martie blushed, shaking her head, "I just feel like I know him. I…I'm not attracted to him. I mean, yea, he's hot, but I don't know. It's strange."

Pouting, Alice crossed her arms, "You know, denial isn't going to help you."

"No, I'm serious." Martie shook her head, "I…I don't know. Anyways, c'mon! We have our final event in less than ten minutes! We need to be focused on the pool, not on some random dude in the bleachers."

"Yea yea…" Alice mumbled, crossing her arms, "Look after this, my mom and I are gonna go shopping. You wanna come?"

"Well, my mom isn't here" Martie pointed out, "She had to work. And you know Coach won't let me go out unless I have my own legal guardian."

"Damn that sucks" Alice whistled, "Really? Your mom has to work on weekends?"

Martie glared at Alice, "Hey sorry" Alice apologized, "I…I just forgot you know."

"Yea. I…I never mind. We need to focus on this race."

Forcing the strange man to the back of her head, Martie headed over to the starting blocks. She was the first leg in the relay, and as she stretched on the pool deck, she couldn't help a small smile from forming on her lips. Their relay was one of the fastest at the meet, and Martie knew it would be a huge advantage to the team if they could take first.

"Sorry, coming through-ahhh!" a young woman hurried through the crowd of swimmers and timers gathered behind the blocks, running over to the wall where the events were posted. As she ran forward, she slipped, losing her balance, and went crashing straight into Martie. The two went flying onto the pool deck, and Martie let out a gasp of pain as her head made solid contact with the deck.

"Oh god, I'm sorry, I'm so , so sorry!" the woman blushed, helping Martie to her feet.

"Nah…It's ok" Martie smiled, despite the throbbing pain in her head, "I've been through worse before. I'll be fine."

"Martie…" Alice had hurried over to the group as soon as she saw her friend falling, and now had a look of utmost terror on her face.

"Alice?" Martie asked, "What is it? I'm fine. My head hurts a little, but overall, I'm ok."

"No…" Alice shook her head, pointing, "That."

Confused Martie looked down and almost screamed at what she saw. Her swimsuit, her best and brand-new swim suit had a huge rip in it. Thankfully, nothing embarrassing was showing, but a huge tear across the stomach rendered the suit completely useless.

"Oh..my…god…" she managed to get out, looking up at Alice in horror, "What am I gonna do!?"

"Shit. I'm sorry…" the woman who had crashed into Martie looked terribly apologetic, "I really, really am…"

"Our event's in less than five minutes!" Martie cried, ignoring the woman, "Alice, what the hell am I supposed to do!?"

"You have a practice suit, right?" Alice asked.

"Yes…but it's not a meet suit!" Martie protested, "It's a drag suit! It'll slow me down!"

"That's the only suit you have?"

Martie nodded, her eyes wide with terror, "Oh shit. I…I don't have a choice, do I?"

"Either that or miss the event entirely."

"Fuck." Martie could feel the tears building up behind her eyes. Embarrassed, she wiped them from her eyes, "Oh God fucking damnit... Fuck!"

She stood quickly and, ignoring the apologetic pleas of the woman, ran over to her bag, grabbed her drag suit, and ran over to the locker rooms, covering up her stomach as she did so.

She didn't notice the worried look on the blonde stranger's face, nor how he quickly reached into his back pocket, pulling out a cell phone, "Hey Eddie? Yea. It's me Alfred. Look, could you do me a favor…?"

* * *

**So~ In case some of you were confused! I think everyone's familiar enough with swimmng to figure out what they're talking about in the beginning, but if you're confused, feel free to PM me. Also, a Speedo fastskin is one of those facy suits that all the amazing swimmers wear. i'm sure you've seen them before, they were all wearing them at the olympics. a drag suit is, as the name implies, a suit that creates drag. it can be bought, or you can just use a really old, worn out suit that's really saggy...the ones you buy are slightly bigger than speedos, so the one she's talking about here is just a really old suit**

**Eddie- Eddie Reese- swim coach at University of Texas(Aaron Perisol and Ian Crocker swam for them!) and head coach of the 2008 US swimming olympic team. Texas is a HUGE swimming state...right up there with california. **

**Ok. this story will get a lot more interesting...this was just the intro chapter. imma go bury my head in teh sand now. :D **


	2. Chapter 2

**God I feel liek i haven't published anything in ages....CP and APs have been such a struggle...but they're over now! :D**

**anywho. sorry for teh wait~enjoy! **

**Ch. 2**

* * *

After they had finished their relay, the team packed up and headed back to the bus. They had managed to final in the relay, but only barely.

"Do you have a spare suit or something?" Martie's coach looked concerned as they walked back to the bus.

Shaking her head, Martie had to bite her lip to keep the tears from spilling over. She had worked her entire life for this, had woken up at 4:30 in the mornings during the _summer_ to get as good as she was, and now her state meet was going to be ruined because her suit tore!

"Hey Martie" Alice had an arm slung around her friend's shoulder, "Look. I have a spare suit. It's a practice suit, but it's brand-new, so there shouldn't be that much drag."

"They're also selling suits at the meet" one girl piped up, "They're selling fastskins too…you could get one!"

"I don't have the money"

"Oh…" the girl looked crestfallen, "I'm sorry." She said lamely before hurrying ahead.

They returned to the hotel, where Alice met her mother. "Promise to get you something, ok?" she said, as she was leaving the hotel room, throwing one last look over at her friend who lay moping on the bed.

"Yea…thanks"

Alice left, shutting the door behind her, and Martie stared at the ceiling. While she knew using a fastskin wasn't necessarily vital to the meet, it did shave off a few milliseconds… At the level Martie was competing at, milliseconds could make the difference between first and third. It wasn't fair. She scowled at the ceiling, her stomach churning in anger. If her father hadn't left, she would probably be able to afford splurging on a swim suit…she didn't spend money extravagantly, and this was important to her.

But he wasn't here was he? That bastard…he probably had a nice family, with a beautiful wife and kids somewhere else. Martie and her mother hadn't been good enough for him. Growling, she punched the pillow, pretending it was her father's face. While she had no idea what the man looked like, she could imagine it. Her mother had described him before, "He looked a lot like you…beautiful blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a brilliant smile…"

Well. He certainly didn't look like that anymore, Martie decided savagely. He might have been handsome when he was younger, but he had aged. So he was now some fat, balding worthless pig, whose beautiful wife had to work to support. He probably just sat on his fat ass all day, eating and drinking. Grinning wickedly, Martie nodded to himself. Yes. He would be ugly and old.

Feeling slightly better after thoroughly beating the pillow and degrading her father's mental image, Martie sat up, deciding to watch some TV while Alice was out. She stood, and had just grabbed the remote when a loud knocking came from the door.

"Coming…" she called, dragging herself over to the door. Expecting to see Coach or one of the other swimmers, Martie was substantially surprised when the door opened to reveal one of the hotel staff workers.

"Can I help you?" she asked, looking rather nonplussed. She hadn't been noisy or anything, so why would a hotel guy be here?

"Ah. Martha Hamilton?" the man asked, smiling pleasantly.

"Yep. That's me"

"This came for you." He said, holding out a box, "Someone came to the front desk and dropped it off, requesting we give it to you."

"Oh." Martie took the box, feeling slightly confused. Who was it from? It was a plain, cardboard box with no indication as to who had sent it. Shrugging she thanked the hotel guy and closed the door. Crossing over to the bed, she tore the tape off the box and opened it. Inside, there was a card and some wrapping paper. Martie grabbed the card, and opened it. There was a short note written inside, scrawled in a rather messy, almost childish handwriting.

_Martha. Saw what happened at the meet, and am really sorry about it. Here's something that should cheer you up_.

The card was not signed, and as Martie turned it over, frowning slightly, she could find no indication as to who had sent it. Shrugging, she dropped it next to her on the bed, and moved the wrapping paper inside.

She stared at the object that lay at the bottom of the box for a few seconds, her mind not really processing what she was looking at, then reached forward, her hands shaking, and lifted the object out of the box.

Holding it at arm's length, Martie gaped for a few seconds, before standing up, rushing to Coach's room, and pounding frantically on the door. There was a slight pause, and then the door swung open, "Martie?" he looked rather confused, "What are you doing here?"

"Someone sent me this" she said, holding the object up, her voice shaking.

"My god" he said, his face rapidly transforming from confused to shock, "That's a…"

"A Speedo LZR racer elite" Martie nodded, as Coach took the suit from her, "I…I have no idea who sent this…"

"These aren't even on the market yet!" Coach exclaimed, looking dumbfounded, "I mean, the Speedo LZR racers are, but FINA banned them. These suits are expensive, like what? 500 dollars? And if it's not on the market yet…you've got friends in high places, Martie. This is terrific though."

"I know…" Martie said, grinning, "Damnit, I just wish I knew who sent it…I'd at least like to thank them."

Taking the suit back from her coach, Martie headed back to her room, holding it as if it were some sort of treasure.

"Hey where've you been?" Alice greeted Martie as she walked into the room, "Just got back from shopping…I found a really cute bag I thought you might like!"

"Look" Martie responded, thrusting the suit into her friend's face.

"Oh my god!" Alice squealed, grabbing the suit, "How…how…you said you were poor!"

"I didn't buy it!" Martie protested, "Someone sent it to me!"

"Who!"

"I don't know. There was nothing attached to it…no card, nothing."

"Do you have the card?"

"Yes…why. Oh no" Martie shook her head, seeing the too-familiar gleam in her friend's eyes, "No…no, don't go CSI or whatever on this…"

"It's not CSI" Alice protested, sniffing slightly, "It's an art. A science. Now, give me that card."

"No way."

"I said give it!"

Ever since they were young children, Alice had always had an obsession with mystery and crime. In elementary school, it was Scooby-Doo. In middle school, Sherlock Holmes. Now it was one of the many TV crime shows. However, Alice didn't stop at obsessing over imaginary mysteries. She went after real ones too. Her free time was spent pouring over old cold cases, seeing if she could spot something the experts hadn't been able to. On her person, she lugged around some strange forensics-police-y stuff that was beyond Martie as to how it worked.

"You're not analyzing this card!" Martie shook her head, refusing to tell Alice where it was. However, the other girl, knowing Martie too well, instantly dived under the bed, where Martie had dropped the card. "Ah-ha!" she cried, emerging triumphant, "Now gimme a sec."

Groaning, Martie slumped onto the bed, leaving Alice to her own devices. Almost 15 minutes later, Alice finally straightened up from where she had been hunched over the card, on the desk.

"There's not much to say…" Alice confessed, "This was written at a McDonald's with a simple black, ball point pen. A right-handed governmental official, or worker at least, wrote this, and in a hurry if I may say so myself…other than that, I got nothing."

"I'm sure that helps me. There are tons of right-handed men who eat at McDonalds' and uses ball point pens. Thanks a lot." She frowned as she took the letter, "Wait…how do you know it was written at McDonald's? And a government worker?"

"There's a huge-ass grease stain on it. The grease is signature to McDonald's…you know, each fast-food restaurant has a different grease stain. As for the government part, well there's a water-mark on it…" Alice muttered, frowning slightly, "Who would send this to you?"

"I've got no idea"

"A long-lost uncle?"

"They're all dead…everyone on my mom's side is dead…and my dad's side." Martie broke off, shrugging.

"Hmm…well then who?"

"I don't know!"

"Ah!" Alice sat up, her eyes sparkling, "The stranger! That blonde dude!"

"Ummm…"Martie stared at her friend, "You know that makes no sense whatsoever. I've never met the guy before, he's never seen me, so why would he spend 500 bucks on me?"

"True…" Alice sighed, "Ah well, whatever. You've got a kick-ass swimsuit, and we are going to destroy the other swimmers tomorrow!"

"Sure thing." Martie smiled, nodding.

* * *

The next day was finals. After warm up, it took a team effort to get Martie into her new suit. "Alright!" Alice yelled, holding one side of the suit while another swimmer held another, "PULL!"

There were grunts, cries, and finally, finally….

They had gotten the suit up to her waist.

"I hate this thing" Martie said, glaring at the suit, which, after fifteen minutes of straining, was only halfway on.

"Well, it's easier from this point out!" Alice reminded her friend cheerfully, "Now c'mon. Just a little more…"

They struggled for another fifteen minutes, and finally managed to get the suit into place, "This is tight" Martie managed to get out, lifting up her arms and stretching.

"Makes you go faster. Now c'mon. Let's go get 'em"

* * *

It was a good meet. Well-rested from their tapers, the entire team was swimming best times. After her 200 free relay, Martie had a rather long break, so she headed out into the lobby to grab something to eat.

She had just bought a power bar and was heading back into the pool area when a shock of blonde hair caught her eye. Turning, she saw the strange man from yesterday. He was standing in the corner alone, wearing a t-shirt and jeans again, but this time with a large, old leather jacket that looked like it belonged in WWII draped over his arm. It was an old jacket, Martie noted, probably an antique from the man's grandfather or something of the sort.

She didn't know why exactly she did what she did next. Pretending to be interested in the poster on the wall next to the man, she sidled over to him, throwing a quick glance at him over her shoulder. On closer inspection, he appeared quite young, perhaps in his early twenties at latest, and was talking hurriedly on his cell.

"Look. I can't. I'm at my daughter's swim meet!"

He sounded rather agitated, Martie mused, pretending to read the poster with great interest.

"Well I'm sorry. Yea. She just finished swimming. 200 free. Yea, she did great." Martie scowled slightly. So the girl had swum in the same event as her? Well there were only eight girls in the finals, meaning that this guy's kid must have been pretty good.

"…no."

There was a sharp change in tone in the man's voice, bringing Martie out of her thoughts. Shifting slightly, she strained her ears to catch the man's conversation as his voice had dropped in volume, "I said no. I've missed out on nearly her entire life. Give me this one thing. I don't care if my boss needs me now, Mattie, I'm just asking to be there for one thing!"

As his voice dropped even further, Martie could no longer hear the entire conversation, but rather snippets of it, "…don't care…national…yea…security…doesn't know…"

Finally, the man hung up, and straightened, running a hand through his hair. Martie didn't move from where she was standing, pretending to be too engrossed in the poster to notice the way he seemed to start as he saw her standing so close, before hurrying out of the lobby. Once he had left, Martie frowned. What the hell? Since when did she start eavesdropping on people! Nonetheless, she glared at the poster, a small frown settling over her features. That was one lucky girl. If her father was willing to screw his boss to watch her swim meet…Martie sighed. She had never had a father, so why start pining for one now? Unwrapping the power bar, she took a bite before heading back into the pool area.

* * *

The bus ride home from state took about four hours, and at a little past midnight, the team finally pulled up into the school parking lot, exhausted but happy. Martie had already called her mother and was waiting in the bus loop for her ride.

"We can totally give you a ride, you know" Alice had offered, stretching as she got off the bus, "It's no biggie."

"Nah" Martie shook her head, "We don't live that far from school. Plus, my mom's already on her way."

As if to prove Martie's point, her mom's car pulled into the bus loop, and old, off-white mini-van. Giving her friend a hug, Martie threw her duffle bag into the trunk of the car before clambering into the shotgun.

"How was the meet?" Martie's mom asked as she started up the car and pulled out of the lot.

"Awesome" Martie said, grinning, "I got a kick-ass surprise, I'll have to show it to you when we get home. Oh, and there was this strange dude we saw, and- LOOK OUT!"

They had been sitting at an intersection, waiting for the light to turn green when a large pickup truck came speeding up to the light. It was swerving dangerously, swaying side to side, and as Martie watched, the car seemed to finally loose whatever control it had, barreling out of its lane and into Martie's car. There was a terrible crash, the sound of glass shattering, and as Martie finally realized what was happening, a sudden whiteness exploded before her eyes, and a terrible pain, as if she had been punched in the face sent her reeling backwards into the chair, even as her body was thrown forward. Her seatbelt, holding her down, managed to restrain her, and for a few seconds, Martie simply laid there as screams and more crashes resounded around her. There was a distinct, burning pain in her leg, as well as a few smaller pains throughout her body and the blossoming pain over her eyes. As Martie lay there, her brain trying to process the information, she was able to draw two conclusions. First, she had been in a car accident. Second, she was still alive.

Wincing slightly, she reached down to undo the seatbelt, pull away the white airbags that had exploded around her. Her eyes were watering, and she couldn't see very well, but from what she could see, it was bad. The truck had crashed into the side of the driver's side of the car, obscuring half the vehicle from Martie's view.

_Mom_. The word flashed across her brain, and instantly, a nagging fear seemed to overcome her, "Mom?" she called out. There was no response, and instantly, the fear grew to panic. "Mom? MOM!"

Desperately, she raked at the airbags, pulling them out of the way. The metal of the car had been crushed in, and as she pounded at it, her knuckles and fingers bleeding as she scratched at the metal, her fear seemed to bubble over, clawing at her throat and overwhelming her. "MOM! MOM MOM!"

She was crying now, tears flowing over and mixing with blood as she tried to move the metal. There were some sounds outside, sirens, and she could hear faintly, a car door opening. "There's someone in here!" Strong arms grabbed her around the waist, and as she struggled to get back to the metal, hauled her out of the car.

"Whoa there. You're gonna be alright, girl. C'mon…stop kicking."

"NO! STOP! MOM! MOM!" she struggled against the arms, trying to get back to the burning wreck, "MOM! MOMM! LEMME GO!"

"Calm down! C'mon…she's hysterical."

Some more arms helped lift her up, and she was laid down on a white gurney. A jarring pain shot through her leg and she winced, jerking her head back. Everything was blurred together, a giant mess. Faces melted together…voices whirled about her. _Mom_. A single thought kept trailing through her head _Oh God, mom…please. Please be alright…you're all I have…please please…mom, I can't live without you…_sickness seemed to rise in her stomach, _You're all I have left…mom…please…don't you dare leave me…_

The pain in her leg overwhelmed her and with one last gasp, she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

**Case anyone was wondering, FINA banned the original LZRS and the bumps on the front of fastskins (at state we had to literally cut them all off my friend's suit. soooo stupid) but apparently, the LZR elietes are ok...idk why. -3-**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: holy shit. i'm almost legal. four more days till i can smoke, buy porn, vote, and die for my nation. and another year before i can go get legally wasted in canada. woot. **

** You know which characters are mine and which aren't. **

* * *

_It was warm. Martie could feel the warmth surrounding her, wrapping around her like a blanket and keeping her safe._

"_She's beautiful"_

_A face, blurry, appeared in her line of vision. The voice was a man's, deep, rich and comforting. She couldn't quite make out the features of the face, but for whatever reason, she found she didn't mind. She snuggled closer to the source of warmth, a broad chest and large hands that held her securely in place. _

"_What should we name her, dear?" another voice, a woman's, worn but overflowing with happiness soon asked._

"_Martha"_

"_Martha?" the woman's voice asked, "Why Martha?"_

"_It was…my mother's name" the man said, rocking her._

"_Martha…that's a wonderful name" the woman responded, sighing happily, "Think about it, dear, her growing up, our family…"_

_The man's grip stiffened slightly before relaxing again, "Yea…" his tone had changed. It sounded forced, tired, guilty, "Yea. That would be great…" _

* * *

Martie awoke with a gasp, panting heavily. _What…was that?_ That dream, where she had been so warm and happy…where had that come from?

Sighing and running a hand through her blonde hair, Martie noticed a pressure in her right leg. Frowning slightly, she grabbed her sheets and paused, noticing that they were not her usual space printed sheets. That was odd…pulling them aside, she gasped as she saw her leg, heavily bandaged with tubes sticking ever which way out of it. She looked wildly around the room, realizing that nothing, the bed, the walls, not even the robe she wore was hers.

The events suddenly came rushing back to her; the crash, the metal, and the fear. That god-awful, smothering _fear_. "Mom!" she cried out, "Oh fuck…mom! MOM!"

"Martie!" the door to the room suddenly slid open. Alice stood in the doorway, her face pale and eyes widened, "Oh thank goodness!" she cried, rushing into the room and sweeping her friend up into a hug, "Oh god, you have no freaking idea, I've been here this whole time, for like two days, and I, we got this call, and there were sirens, and the police, and I…I thought you were _dead_ and the truck and your car, and everything was just so chaotic, and that bastard was totally drunk, and I was so, _so _scared, and there was fire everywhere, and we all thought you were trapped, but they got you out and then they tried to get your mom out, an-"

"My mom" Martie interrupted Alice's rant, "Mom, where is she? What do you mean they _tried_ to get her out! Alice, Alice, look at me! You…you, they got her out, right? She's fine, right?"

"If by fine you mean alive, then yes…" Alice muttered, refusing to look at Martie, "But beyond that…I…Martie, Martie, please, I'm so sorry…"

"What do you mean?"

"I…they managed to get her out, eventually…" Alice was gnawing on her bottom lip, her eyes bright with tears as she wrung her hands together, "But…by then…"

"_Is she going to be ok_!"

"Martie, please…"

"You're my best friend, Alice" Martie grabbed the other girl's face, forcing her to look her in the eye, "Please. Tell me the truth."

The other girl looked away before responding in a soft mumble, "She's in the ICU"

"ICU…?" Martie repeated dully, "You mean…Intensive Care Unit…?"

"Y…yes."

"No."

"Martie…"

"I'm going to see her now." Martie stood, or at least tried to. As soon as she made to stand up, Alice, held her shoulders down, shaking her head.

"Martie, you're not too hot yourself. Please…don't exert yourself." Alice pleaded, "The doctor should be here soon…you can talk to her then! She's a very nice lady, please understand…"

"I'll be fine…"

"No, you're not! You just woke up, wait for the doctor!"

"I'm strong, I'll be fine"

"You need to wait, Martie!"

"Fuck Alice, leave me alone!" Martie cried, lashing out and striking her friend across the face. The other girl froze in horror, and as Martie registered what she had done, a sick feeling of guilt bubbled up in her chest, meshing and mixing with all the other twisted emotions.

"You hit me" Alice said. Her voice was blank, not accusing, not angry, just shocked and emotionless.

"Alice, look" Martie began, but Alice shook her head.

"Martie. I know you're stressed, but…look. I…I've, no, never mind." Alice shook her head, turning from Martie, "The doctor should be here soon" Alice said hollowly, "You can talk to her."

"A…Alice…" Martie called out weakly as her friend marched stiffly out. A few minutes later, the doctor, a young woman with brunette hair pulled sharply back into a bun came in.

"You're finally awake" the doctor said, smiling.

"Can I see my mother?" Martie mumbled, her eyes downcast and face scrunched into a pout.

"Yes." A nurse came in with a wheelchair, "You should go in this though."

With some help, Martie managed to pull herself into the wheelchair without jarring her leg too badly. The nurse rolled her down the hallway, asking her mundane questions as she rolled down the hall. They reached the room, and paused, as the nurse opened the door and wheeled over to the side of a bed, surrounded by a curtain.

"I'll leave you alone," the nurse promised, drawing the curtain and quickly leaving the room.

"M…mom?" Marti asked hesitantly, seeing the figure on the bed stirring.

"Martie?" the woman on the bed shifted, "Is that you, dear?"

Martie couldn't answer. There, on the hospital bed, lay her mother. Her left leg was missing, and her head wrapped in heavy bandages. Tubes seemed to be sticking out in every direction, and machines were hooked up all over the room. Martie had always seen her mother as a strong woman, a safety post in times of danger. Like Martie, she was rather stout and thick, her years in the military making her rather muscular as well. She always tried to smile at Martie, and while it didn't always work out, what mattered is she tried…now, to see her, lying on the hospital bed, broken, weak, looking so small and vulnerable in nothing but a hospital gown and swathed in bandages, Martie could feel a strange terror, like some sickness overwhelming her.

"Mom…oh god mom, please…you're ok, right?"

The woman on the bed smiled weakly, "Martie…Martie sweetie, you know I love you. I love you so, so much…and I need to tell you something, and give you something before it's too late…"

"Don't say that!" Martie shook her head, tears forming in the corners of her eyes, "For god's sake mom, please, please…you're gonna be ok…everything's gonna be alright…"

Her mom chuckled, "Martie…do you see on the side of my bed? There's a red box. That's for you sweetie…please open it."

Hesitantly, Martie reached forward, her hands shaking slightly as she opened the box. Inside were two dog tags and a simple, silver cross. Lifting up the first dog tag, she read aloud, "Jennifer Hamilton. Private 3rd rifle platoon, fifth company…oh mom…are these your dog tags!"

"One of them is" the woman smiled, "Look at the other."

Nodding, Martie lifted the other dog tag from the box, and read, "Alfred F. Jones. Special Forces fifth company….wait…who…this…"

"Is your father's" her mother replied, "The cross was his too...he gave them to me after he found out I was pregnant with you…"

Martie said nothing, biting her lip and trying to prevent herself from bursting into tears, "Why did you keep these?" she asked, her voice shaking, "He…that bastard…he's not worthy of you!"

Martie's mother smiled, a sad, broken expression, "I'm a fool sweetie. I…he left me, shortly after I had you…said he was being called back to duty. I..I believed him, and wrote to him every day, but, well, I never heard back from him…"

"_Why?"_ Martie was shaking with anger now, "Why can't you just _let him go_?"

"I'm a fool sweetie…a complete and utter _fool_" her mom was crying now, the bandages over her eyes dampened with tears, "Oh god, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't able to give you everything you deserved…I'm sorry you couldn't have what you wanted, dear…I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry…"

"Mom, no" Martie grasped her mother's hand, "It's not your fault. You've done everything for me…given me everything. Mom, mom…I love you."

"And I love you, sweetie." Martie's mom said, the sad, broken smile never leaving her face.

Martie leaned over and kissed her mother on the cheek, "Just promise me this." Martie whispered, stroking her mother's hands, "Promise me you'll make it through the night, promise me you'll come out ok. Promise me…promise me you won't leave me…"

"I promise sweetie"

* * *

It rained on the day of the funeral.

The coffin was plain, simple wood in a simple grave. The procession that followed it was small, and somber. Martie watched as the plain wooden box was lowered into the grave, tears falling silently down her face as she leaned on the crutches the hospital had supplied her with. There were hardly any people at the funeral; some old friends of her mothers, and her next door neighbors; two huge men who always seemed to be concerned with Martie and her mother's well-being. As the dirt was thrown over the coffin, Martie broke down, sobbing. It seemed so real now, so final. Her mother was never coming back, ever.

_Mommy, look at the picture I painted for you! _

_That's a beautiful picture, dear._

_Mommy, look! Look! I got you a flower!_

_It's a wonderful flower._

_Mommy, why don't I have a daddy?_

_Martie…sweetie…._

A hesitant arm wrapped around her shoulder, and Martie looked up, slightly surprised to see Alice, a large bruise swelling across the side of her face where Martie had hit her, smiling down sadly at her.

Martie stared at her friend second before , "Alice, oh Alice, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" she clung to the front of her friend's black dress, staining it with her tears.

"Shhh" Martie felt strong arms wrap around her, holding her, "There, it's ok dear. It's ok…"

_Warm arms holding her…_

Martie gasped slightly, her mind reeling back to the strange dream she had had. Pulling slightly away from Alice, Martie took her friend's hands in her own, "Alice. I'm going to find my father. I don't want anything from him, I don't expect him to take me in, or get money from him…" Martie looked away bitterly, "I still have my pride, and I don't want anything materialistic from scum like him… I just want answers. Why did he abandon me? Why did he leave mom? I need to know. Can you help me?"

"Do you have a name?"

"Yes." Martie pulled out the dog tags she wore around her neck, "Alfred F. Jones. He was a private in my mom's same division. We can start there?"

Alice grinned, "We got a name, and even a division…the military keeps pretty good records of what happens to their servicemen. Finding this guy's going to be hella easy."

As the two girls talked, a young woman, dressed in a formal suit approached them. "Martha Hamilton?" she asked, smiling politely.

"Yes?" Martie asked, turning to the woman, "that's me."

"I'm Emma Clarke" the woman introduced herself, holding her hand out for Martha to shake, which she did, "I'm with the US government, and just need to ask you a few questions."

Martie nodded, "Shoot"

"Do you have any living relatives, to your knowledge?"

Martie shook her head, her throat constructing.

"Do you have any idea where your father is, or perhaps any of his relatives?"

Again, Martie shook her head, and Ms. Clarke sighed, "Martha…I'm sorry, but you realize what that means now, right? You're only 15. There's still three more years until you can become legal, so until then, you are a ward of the state. We will get you into a foster home, hopefully around here, as soon as possible. Now, would you come with me?"

Martie nodded dumbly, hearing the words, but not fully registering them. As she crawled into the back seat of Ms. Clarke's back car, she could have sworn she had seen a golden-haired figure ducking behind a large tree overlooking the funeral, but when she looked back, there was nothing.

* * *

**Alfred's got ninja skillz. and i know absolutely nothing about the US military, so if the dog tags don't make any sense...yea. and alfred called martha his mother b/c even tho in my head cannon, native america is alfred's mom, it would be weird for him to say, "the wife of my father" (since george, of course is the father of america...)**

**and now the story actually begins! :D**

**reviews are very much so appreciated! **


	4. Chapter 4

**Ugghh...this week has just been hectic. sooo...this chapter's a bit shorter. Sorry. -3-**

* * *

"Any luck?"

"Yea." Alice looked up from the computer, her eyes sparkling slightly, "We're in luck Martie"

"What do you mean?"

The two girls were at the library, Martie still on crutches and the bruising across Alice's face finally starting to fade. Using Alice's laptop, the two had begun their search for Alfred F. Jones of the Special Forces in the US military. Unfortunately, Alfred F. Jones was a common name, and after much searching the two girls had come up with a number of Alfred F. Jones and Alfred Jones that could possibly the one they were looking for.

Martie was currently staying with a foster family, a kindly older company that housed three other girls. It wasn't exactly a comfortable situation, but wasn't terrible either. "This is only a temporary situation" Ms. Clarke had assured Martie, "One the school year lets out, you'll be transferred to a more stable foster home. And who knows? You may be adopted soon."

"Well" Alice said, interrupting Martie's reprieve, "I've found the lieutenant that served in that company, and he lives fairly close to here."

"Fairly close being…?"

"And hour bus ride?" Alice asked, smiling hesitantly, "Hey it could be worse. He could live across the nation, you know."

Martie shrugged, "Personally, I'm fine with it. Wanna go this Saturday?"

"Sure" Alice nodded, snapping her laptop shut, "The library closes in about five minutes, so we need to get going. We'll meet at the bus depot…ten in the morning sound ok?"

"Yep. See you then" Martie slung her bag over her shoulders, grabbed her crutches, and with Alice's help, hobbled to the door.

"Bye!" she called out to her friend, watching Alice's retreating back. Her friend waved in return before disappearing around the corner.

Sighing, Martie re-adjusted the bag on her shoulders before heading off in the direction of the bus depot. There was a line that ran straight to her foster parent's house, but it wouldn't be by for another 15 minutes. Spotting a bench, Martie headed for it. She was maybe about 20 yards away from the bench when someone, or something, suddenly crashed into her, sending her sprawling on the floor, her crutches flying everywhere. As her luck would have it, she landed almost directly on her leg, resulting in an almost blinding pain to overtake her. She let out a cry followed almost immediately by a long string of colorful curses.

"Oh my, I'm sorry, I'm so terribly, terribly sorry" an accented voice apologized, and soon a hand was proffered. Martie seized the hand, and putting all her weight on it (perhaps she was trying to pull down the fool that had crashed into her, but that was besides the point) pulled herself to the feet, holding onto the stone pillar next to her to take the weight off her injured leg.

The man that had crashed into her let go of her hand and instantly went to grab her crutches. He was a thin, small man, Martie noted, clearly much stronger than he appeared as he had managed to pull Martie to her feet.

"Here, oh goodness, I am _so_ sorry, I was just in a terrible hurry, you must understand" he continued to apologize as he gave her the crutches back.

"Yea. yea…" Martie mumbled, the pain in her leg still terrible, "Yea. ok. It's fine. Whatever."

"Here, you must let me help you…" the man was about Martie's height, but had been looking around on the ground, making sure he had picked up all of her things that had scattered everywhere. Only now did he look up, his voice trailing off as he saw Martie's face.

"Ummm…is something the matter?" Martie shifted uncomfortably. The man had very green eyes, and possibly the thickest eyebrows Martie had ever seen. The look he was giving her, one of complete shock, was rather unnerving, and she took a step back, smiling weakly, "Well…I guess I'm going to go catch my bus now…" she said.

"Wait"

"What?" Martie frowned, "Look mister. I'm sorry about crashing into you and all that, but I really need to get going, ok?"

"Your face…"

"What? Is there something wrong with it?"

"No…no, it's just terribly familiar…I have a, well, a friend that-"

"ARTHUR!"

The man looked up. Another man with blonde, wavy hair ran towards the two of them. His eyes were a pale indigo, a striking color, and were framed by glasses. A strange curl bounced up and down as he ran, and in his arms, he clasped a small white bear.

"Arthur" he gasped once he had caught up to the two, "You know you can't just go running off like that-" the indigo eyed man suddenly stopped short upon catching sight of Martie.

"Matthew" the green-eyed man, Arthur, Martie assumed, "Doesn't she look like A-"

"No"

"Well I mean, at least her ey-"

"No" the other man said, interrupting his friend again.

"Surely you must se-"

"Look Arthur" the other man replied testily, "We need to get to brother's house. You know how he is when, um, you're late."

"He doesn't give a damn, Matthew."

"You mean he doesn't _show_ it." The man holding the bear, Matthew, turned to Martie, "I'm terribly sorry about what my friend did, but we really must get going."

"No" Martie shook her head, "It's quite alright." This Matthew guy made her somewhat uncomfortable. As she studied his face, she couldn't shake the odd feeling that she had seen him before, somewhere, but she wasn't quite able to pinpoint where.

Matthew started to pull Arthur away, and with one last glance at the strange duo, Martie quickly hobbled over to her bus stop.

* * *

"Well this is certainly an interesting house."

As promised, Alice and Martie met at the bus stop early Saturday morning, and then took the bus to the Lieutenant's house. "Lieutenant Hyman" Alice said, looking at the piece of paper she held in her hand, "According to what I've researched, he's retired. Been retired for five years. After serving in the army, he became the chemist teacher for the local school."

"Anything strikingly unusual?" Martie asked, looking back at the house.

"Well…" Alice said, "He certainly has…ummm…interesting taste in décor…."

The house itself was nestled in a middle-class suburb, surrounded by cookie-cutter houses. It was a two-story, pale brick house, with two large trees in the front yard. Scattered all over the front yard were gnomes. Lots of gnomes. Large gnomes, fat gnomes, tiny gnomes, neon-pink gnomes…the entire front lawn was covered in them.

"Ten bucks says he's off his rocker" Alice muttered as she pushed open the white picket fence, stepping into the gnome garden with Martie trailing behind her.

They walked up the drive, and after hesitating for a brief second, Alice pounded on the door. The two girls waited for a few minutes, glancing over their shoulders ever few seconds as if expecting the gnomes to suddenly come to life and attack them, before the door swung open, revealing a rather tall, elderly man.

"If yer here from that Home-owner's whatchmacallit, ye can forget about convincing me." The man raved before either girl had a chance to speak, "I'm tellin' ya! Theses 'ere fellas have been here for a long time, and they ain't goin' anywhere! Ye hear me!"

"Yes. Yes we hear you" Alice winced, lowering her hands from her ears once she was certain he had finished yelling, "We're not here from any homeowner's association…we just have some questions we hope you would be able to answer."

"Questions?" the man peered down at them, "Questions 'bout what?"

"You are Lieutenant Hyman, right?" Martie asked.

The man nodded solemnly, "'deed I am."

"Are you familiar with the name Jennifer Hamilton?"

The man's eyes seemed to light up, "Jenn?" he asked, "Of course I knew Jen! I was her superior, you know. Smart girl. Course, her career was cut, er, short…there was an incident ye see, and well, I don't feel it's in my place to tell you 'bout it…If you wanna find out, go talk to her."

"That's impossible" Martie replied, her eyes slightly downcast, "She's dead. And we already know about this "incident"…I was the incident."

"Yer her kid?"

Martie nodded. Hyman coughed, clearly uncomfortable, before reaching out with a giant calloused hand, and patting her awkwardly on the shoulder, "Well…gee…I'm certainly sorry 'bout that. Yer mother was a good woman. Smart and brave. Ye can't ask fer anymore than that in a soldier."

"I…I know" Martie sniffled, forcing the tears that were welling up in her eyes back down, "I'm not here to talk about her though."

"Well then who are ye lookin' fer?"

"My father"

The old man visibly stiffened, "Wha's the matter with him?"

"I don't know." Martie replied, miserably, "He left us, my mother and myself when I was still young…I don't remember him at all. I'm trying to find him. Do you know anything about him?"

"Alfred F. Jones. Tha' was what he introduced himself on the first day of training. He was a bright boy, naïve, but overall a warm character. There was something about him…people were drawn to him like flies. Ye've heard of people havin' an "aura" or somethin' like that? Well, Jones certainly did have some aura 'bout him. I dunno what it was about him, but you just felt, well, _right_ 'round him."

"Do you know what happened to him after the army?"

"Well" Hyman scratched the back of his head uncomfortably, "As ye know, Jones got yer mom pregnant with you, and after that, left with her. We had a reunion for our company only a month ago, and neither Jones nor yer mother showed up."

"Was there anything unusual about Jones?"

"Well, he was usually strong. And well ahead of the rest of his class in trainin'. It was like everythin' we taught him was a review fer him or somethin'. He was also real good a' history. Ye should've heard his lessons…the way he talked, it was almos' like he was _there_ or somethin'…His lecture on the Battle of Gettysburg? Wooh. We were pantin' by the end of that! An' most of us didn' even _like_ history!"

"Did he ever talk about what he was going to do after the military?" Martie pressed.

"Nope" Hyman shook his head, "I'm sorry dear, but I don't have anythin' that could help ya…"

"A picture" Alice suddenly spoke up, "Surely, you have a picture of him!"

Hyman frowned, then shook his head, "There was somethin' strange about Jones, actually…he would never let his picture be takin'. We would have group shots, and Jones just refused to be in any of them…and also, well, you can find who was in what company, right?"

"Yea…I suppose."

"Well" the lieutenant paused, "I looked up our company one day. I was bored. And guess what?"

"What?"

"No Jones." The man shrugged, "Everyone else was there, but there was no indication that an Alfred F. Jones had ever served in our company."

* * *

**And that's that! :D please read and revieeewww~~~oh and i forgot to mention, but this story is set in New York, NY . :3**


	5. Chapter 5

**So, since I know nothing about adoption processes or foster homes, please forgive me for any glaring mistakes concerning said topics. Thank you. **

* * *

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

"That"

"What's that?"

"That!"

"That? What is that?"

"Back there!"

"Back where?"

Arthur glared at Matthew for a few seconds, as the younger nation tried to look innocent as possible, "That" he finally growled, pointing in the direction of the bus depot they had just hurried out of, "What was that back there?"

"What was wha-"

"Don't you even start!" Arthur growled, "You know what I'm talking about! That girl! Who was she?"

"I don't know." Matthew shrugged, "Did you get her name?"

"No!" Arthur exclaimed, "I mean, you, you…you seemed to know something about her!"

"Arthur…" Matthew said slowly, "I don't know what you're talking about. I was just trying to get to Al's house as soon as possible."

Arthur was silent for a few seconds, his faces till pulled into a scowl. Finally, he spoke up, "Well, don't you think she looked like him?"

"Al?"

"Yes"

Matthew shrugged, "Not really. I mean, her facial structure was completely different, and her nose was off…"

"But her eyes."

"What about them?"

"They were the exact same."

"Color, yea…but you know, blue's not exactly, well a completely unheard of color…"

"No" Arthur shook his head vehemently, "You know what I mean. Like, they were the same…"

"What?" Matthew said, jokingly, "Are you suggesting that she found Al, gouged his eyes out and stuck them in her own sockets? Apart from just being plain morbid, I don't see that happening any time soon…Look. We're at Al's already. Just stop freaking out over some random girl at the bus stop."

Matthew and Arthur climbed the steps up Alfred's porch, Arthur still frowning and Matthew trying to lighten the mood. After knocking and waiting a few seconds, the door was flung open, and the two were greeted by a grinning Alfred.

"Hey what took ya'll so long!" he asked, stepping aside to let them into the house. Upon noticing Arthur's frown and Matthew's forced smile, his own smile waned slightly, "Hey, what's up?"

"Oh it's nothing" Matthew reassured his brother, smiling that forced, fake smile that clearly meant Alfred was in _deep_, "Could you do me a favor Arthur? Make us some tea please. I would ask Al, but you know he's not very good at it."

Arthur nodded and silently headed to the kitchen, leaving the twins alone in the hallway.

"Dude, what the hell?" Alfred asked, "I thought you didn't even like t-"

"And you are going to help me get the luggage to our rooms, _brother dear_."

Alfred blanched, and without further ado, grabbed luggage and began hoisting it up the stairs. One they had reached the guest room, Alfred dumped everything on the floor, and turned to face Matthew, who had followed him.

"Ok seriously?" Alfred asked, as Matthew shut the door, "What'd I do this time, Mattie!"

"Guess who we saw at the bus stop?" Matthew asked, the strained smile still present.

"Who?'

"Your kid." Matthew snarled, "That's right. We ran into your fucking kid, who, mind you, was stumbling around on crutches when Arthur went barreling into her!"

Alfred had turned pale upon Matthew's explanation, "Oh shit!" he cursed, "Is she ok!"

"Al!" Matthew threw his hands in the air, "Yes, she's fine, but that's not the point! Do you have any idea how close Arthur was to figuring out! If I hadn't been there, he would have for sure! We've got a world conference this weekend in this city! Nations from all over the world are going to be showing up, and let me tell you this. If they get wind that the United States of America went off and slept with one of his citizens, and furthermore _had a human kid with said citizen_, it will not end well. You're not that popular Alfred. Honestly, a good deal of the world would love to see you take a blow, a _severe_ blow, be it physical or emotional. That kid is not good news. I'm sorry to sound callous, but it's true and you know it."

Alfred had at least the sense to look ashamed as Matthew ranted, and once he had finished, looked hesitantly up, "Look Mattie…we're in _New York_." Alfred reasoned, " It's my biggest city. There's what? 16 million people here, give or take? What are the chances that Martha's going to run into one of the other nations?"

"We're going to be going in and out of the UN building all day." Matthew replied, "Al, this is a _huge_ conference. Almost the entire world's showing up. You know the schools love touring the UN building, and it's not exactly in the back streets of New York."

"Well what then!" Alfred cried, looking frustrated, "Look Mattie, I'm sorry, but what am I supposed to do!"

"I don't know! Fucking eh, if you hadn't been sleeping around, this would've never happened!"

"Look Mattie, shut the fuck up about that" Alfred growled, "I was not just _sleeping around_, and I can't do anything about what happened…what happened between Jen and me, so just shut the fucking hell up about that."

Matthew glared at his brother in return for a few moments before softening slightly and plopping down on the bed, "What are we going to do then Al?"

"Shit…I dunno" Alfred flopped next to his brother, and stretched out on the bed, "We can't just let her alone, can we…?"

"No." Matthew shook his head resolutely, "At least while this conference is going on, there's no way we can let her just wander around New York…she looks too much like you. Someone's bound to notice."

Alfred was silent for a few minutes, chewing on his bottom lip as he thought, "How…how about…" he started suggesting, hesitation evident in his voice, "How about she come live here?"

"Here?"

"Yea." Alfred looked hopefully at his brother, "You know? Like, she could come live with me!"

"Alfred"

"Yea?"

"That won't work."

"Why not!"

"Firstly, Arthur's staying here" Matthew said slowly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "You can't just randomly throw him out. Secondly, how are you going to get her? Go up to the foster home and just walk out with her?"

"I'll adopt her!" Alfred said, his eyes sparkling, "She's my kid after all…"

"Well then, how are you going to explain it to her when she comes to visit you later in life and you look younger than her!"

"I'll tell her the truth."

"What!"

"C'mon Mattie" Alfred whined, rolling over, "She deserves to know. You know? I mean, hell she's my kid! She deserves to know who her parents were…And with Jen's death…Well…I just think it's high time I _did_ something…"

Matthew stared at his brother a few seconds before shaking his head, "You can't do that! Nations aren't allowed to have…to have relationships with ordinary citizens! You're supposed to be an embodiment of your people! You…you can't just have this one girl influence the entire nation!"

"She won't" Alfred said, shrugging, "Kids disagree with their parents all the time. She can have her opinion and I can have mine."

"Still…what about Arthur then!"

"Hmmm…" Alfred frowned, "He _is _a problem…I could get in a fight with him and piss him off so thoroughly he leaves and stays in a hotel?"

"Do you really want to do that?"

"…..no."

"That's what I thought" Matthew said curtly.

"We're going to have to do something with Arthur…" Alfred paused staring suddenly very intently at Matthew.

"What?"

"You."

"What about me!"

"You have a condo here." Alfred explained, his eyes shining brightly, "She'll go live with you for this meeting. Then, once the meeting's over, you'll go back to wherever you came from, and she'll come live with me!"

"Canada. I'm from Canada, idiot" Matthew responded, "And I was planning on staying with you! How are we gonna explain to Arthur why I suddenly decided to go to my condo!"

"Stand up."

"Ok…"

Matthew stood from the bed, and Alfred stood as well. No sooner had the twins gotten off the bed did Alfred suddenly raise a fist, and with his all his rather substantial strength, punched the bed, effectively cracking the bed in two with a loud snap, and destroying it.

"There" Alfred turned to his brother, beaming, "The bed's broken. You can't sleep here. Sorry."

"What in blazes is going on here!" Arthur must have rushed up the stairs upon hearing the bed destroyed, and now stood in the doorway, staring at the destruction, his jaw hanging open slightly.

"We were wrestling" Alfred supplied, smiling.

"Wrestling…but…Matthew?"

"Ummm…" the Canadian blushed, looking rather ashamed, "He…well…he.."

"I insulted hockey." Alfred said.

"Oh." Arthur seemed to buy that excuse, for he turned his attention back to the bed, "Well what are we going to do about this bed? Alfred, you daft moron! Wasn't Matthew supposed to sleep here?"

"Yep"

"Well what do we do now…?"

"I guess I could just go sleep at my condo… " Matthew suggested, at Alfred's prodding.

"No, no it's fine" Arthur said, shaking his head quickly, "I can go rent a hotel…Matthew you could have my room."

"That's a dumb idea Artie" Alfred interrupted, "Mattie owns a condo…it would save us all money if he just went to go to his place."

"Hmmm.." Arthur shrugged, "I suppose you're right. Alfred, you moron…why..oh never mind. I won't get an intelligible answer out of you anyways. It's a pity that I'll be stuck in a house without a single person with which I could conduct a half-decent conversation though. Oh well. Your tea's downstairs Matthew. And Alfred, make yourself useful and clean up this mess."

* * *

After returning from the failed expedition, Martie spent the rest of the day all but moping around. She finished her homework, and was fixing herself a small snack from the kitchen when the doorbell rang. Being closest to the door, she called out, "I'll get it!" before trudging over to the door and throwing it open.

Ms. Clarke was standing there, accompanied, to Martie's surprise, by the young purple-eyed man Martie had seen at the bus station. "Hello dear!" Ms. Clarke said, beaming, "I've got wonderful news for you!"

"Ok..." Martie said, staring at the man behind Ms. Clarke, who seemed to be fidgeting slightly, "What's up?"

"This is Mr. Matthew Williams" Ms. Clarke said, indicating to the man behind her.

"Hello, it's very nice to meet you." Martie said, proffering her hand to the man. Smiling gently, he took it, and after a brief handshake, cleared his throat.

"Um…It's Martha, right?" he asked.

"Martie" Martie corrected him, "Martha's such an old-sounding name."

"Ok" Matthew said, "Martie, then, um…how..how would you like to come live with me for a while?"

"Live with you?"

"Yes." Ms. Clarke interjected, "Mr. Williams is thinking of adopting some children, and would like to know if you would like to stay with him. He has a condo here in New York, meaning that you would be able to stay in the same school and visit your friends just the same! Doesn't that sound fantastic!"

"I suppose so" Martie said, shrugging, while still studying Williams. She couldn't shake the feeling she had seen the man before, somewhere or someplace…

"Anyways." Ms. Clarke said, " Since you're currently on what was it? Spring Break now? I think it would be a superb time to move in with Mr. Williams. His condo is rather spacious, no? You would have your own room, and right in the middle of New York!"

Martie nodded, still somewhat surprised at the turn of events, "I'm going to leave you two alone for some time, so you can get to know each other." Ms. Clarke said, still smiling, "How about you two go sit, look there's a little garden over there! Meanwhile, I need to go talk to your current foster parents, ok Martie?

Again, Martie nodded and followed Williams over to the stone bench. Once they had sat down, there was a brief awkward silence before Martie tried to strike up a conversation, "So. What should I call you?" she asked.

"Oh…um. Matthew would be fine" Matthew said, smiling politely.

"Matthew. OK. I can do that." Martie nodded, "Ummm…well, do you have any interests? Hobbies?"

"I like hockey." Matthew said, his eyes lighting up at the mention of the sport.

"Hockey?" Martie shrugged, "Can't say much about that. I've never seen a hockey game."

"What!" Matthew looked stunned, "Oh! But it's such an amazing sport! You get such a rush from it, watching two teams come together on ice, seeing them duke it out! Ohhhh…you are missing _so_ much!"

"Meh" Martie shrugged, "I don't like team sports in general. Or at least, I don't like playing them…I swim."

"So I've heard. You're pretty good, right?"

"I'm ok, I guess" Martie said, blushing slightly and ducking her head, "We just had state and…" Martie trailed off, a small lump forming in her throat, "I…I'm sorry" she apologized as she began tearing up, "It…it's just that…"

"I heard you lost your…your mom during that" Matthew said, his voice quiet and expression somber.

Martie nodded and hiccupped, chocking back a sob, "I'm sorry" she apologized again, trying to smile, "Oh…this is embarrassing…"

A sudden warmth embraced her, and she looked up, startled. Matthew had hugged her, rocking her back and forth, "Don't be" he reassured her, "It hurts, doesn't it? Losing a loved one?"

Martie hiccupped again and nodded, "Have…have you ever lost someone close to you…?"

Matthew smiled and released her, "Have I?" he smiled, that strange, sad smile, "I…I wouldn't say I've ever lost someone that's particularly close to me… I mean, my family's pretty small, so I don't have much to lose."

"Any siblings?" Martie asked.

"One." Matthew chuckled and shook his head, "One, stupid, irresponsible, self-centered, egotistical, jerk of a twin."

"Ouch."

"Eh" Matthew shrugged, "He's not all bad. You know those people you want to hug and punch in the face at the same time? He's one of them."

"What's his name?"

"…Alfred. But we call him Al"

"Alfred…" Martie said, "I'm looking for an Alfred, actually. But not an Alfred Williams…Alfred Jones."

Matthew looked startled for a second, before regaining his composure, "And why are you looking for an Alfred Jones?" he asked.

"He's my father" Martie replied. She fished into her shirt and pulled out the dog tags she wore around her neck, "See?" she asked, holding one up, "Alfred F. Jones. I need to find him."

"O..oh." Matthew nodded, "That…that's good. Have you had any luck?"

Martie frowned, tucking the dog tags back under her shirt, "No actually. I mean, I've looked for him, and talked to even the lieutenant of the company he served it! There's nothing. No photographs, not even any indication that he ever served in the company. It's like he, well, he just disappeared."

"I see" Matthew nodded. It might have been just Martie, but the man seemed relieved at the news, "Anyways. How about school?"

"I do ok, I suppose" Martie shrugged.

"Ummm..what about subjects? Do you have any favorites?"

"Well, I'm rather good at history…" Martie replied, "My best subject is APUSH by far…but I do enjoy physics, as well as math. English, not so much. And I'm not particularly fond of any of the other science subjects…other than physics, that is."

"Any plans on what you want to do when you grow up?"

Martie shrugged, "I dunno."

They continued to make small talk for some time, until Ms. Clarke came out, still beaming, "Martie, dear" she said, approaching the two, "Pack up your bags! You're going to be staying with Mr. Williams tonight!"

* * *

Matthew's condo, Martie noted, was _huge_. It was strange, she mused, as she set her bags down in the room he had given her. He looked barely older than herself, perhaps in his early twenties, yet he was somehow able to afford a large condo to himself. Furthermore, it seemed like nobody had lived in Matthew's condo for quite some time. It was rather dusty, and looked as if it had been hastily thrown together.

"Are you hungry?" Matthew asked, once they had reached the condo.

Martie shook her head, yawning, "I'm kinda tired…d'you mind if I go to bed early?"

"It's not a problem at all" Matthew reassured her, smiling, "The bathroom's adjacent to your room, and if you need anything else, just give me a shout."

"Alright…goodnight" Martie said, smiling at the man.

"Night"

* * *

**Nothing to say~read and review...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Why no I haven't been slacking, what are you talking about? In my defense though, I've been working on three other rps with other people..so..yea. **

**You know..this is possibly the happiest fic I've ever written...I mean, this is the closest to fluff I've ever gotten. Yea. I fail...**

* * *

After shutting the door behind her, Martie sighed, walking over to the side of her bed. It was nice, she supposed, to finally have a permanent home, but there was something about Matthew that she just didn't quite feel right about. Ms. Clarke had reassured her that they would be checking up on her once a week for some time, so she wasn't particularly worried about being raped or abused, or whatever it was that happened to girls her age, but still…

She looked around the spacious room. It made no sense to her. Here was a young man, clearly well-off in life, adopting a girl that was only what? Come to think of it, how old was Matthew anyways? He looked to be in his early twenties at most…perhaps 21? 23? Either way, he couldn't be more than a few years older than Martie. Shouldn't he be in college, or getting married, or something like that? He seemed like a nice guy, Martie noted, and she had enjoyed talking to him, but she couldn't help shake the feeling that something else was going on.

She quickly changed into her pajamas and had tucked herself into bed when the door to her room silently swung open. Carefully relaxing her body and evening out her breathing, Martie heard the sound of footsteps approaching the side of her bed.

"Martie?" it was Matthew. After a few moments, his footsteps left, and she heard the sound of the door shutting behind him.

Martie rolled over onto her side, snuggling into the thick, downy sheets. At least her bed was comfortable. With one last sigh, she eventually drifted into a heavy slumber.

* * *

"Al…she could wake up any second."

"Sshh..Mattie, I just wanted to see her…Aww…look. She does that funny thing with her nose when she sleeps. Jen used to do that too, you know?"

Voices broke on the edge of Martie's conscious, hushed and whispered. As she lay there, just beginning to wake up, she felt a hand, warm and calloused, large and familiar, card through her hair. She frowned slightly, still not fully awake. It was so familiar, that touch…where had she last felt it?

She opened her eyes, blinking a few times as the world slowly came into focus. Had it been a dream? Those last few minutes, that touch? Yawning, she stretched, freezing momentarily as she took in her surroundings.

"You're finally awake."

A voice came from the doorway, and Martie looked up, rubbing the last vestiges of sleep from her eyes. Matthew's head peeked around the door, a gentle smile on his features.

"Yea…" Martie nodded, stretching again, before flopping down on the bed, "And now I'm going back to sleep."

"There are pancakes in the kitchen" Matthew responded, "If you don't get up, they'll get cold."

Martie frowned, torn by the dilemma. Stay in the comfort of the bed and have warm pancakes or sacrifice her warmth and comfort and eat? "How about you bring them to me?" she suggested, peering up at Matthew from the sheets, a hopeful smile on her face.

Matthew laughed, "Nope. Not happening. C'mon, they're delicious."

Martie's stomach gave a resounding growl, and she groaned. Looks like even though she wasn't sure, her body was. Throwing the covers aside, she shivered slightly and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She sat there for a few seconds before sighing, grabbing her crutches and limping out the door. Matthew held the door for her, and as she hobbled out into the hall, the aroma of the pancakes hit her.

"Dude. They smell freaking awesome" she said, her mouth watering.

Matthew laughed, "I've had some years to perfect my pancakes."

Martie nodded and made a beeline to the kitchen. Once she got there, she saw the mountain of pancakes, golden-brown, and just _beautiful_, stacked on a huge plate on the middle of the table. It was set for two, with two tall glasses of orange juice, butter, and maple syrup set on the table. "Sweet!" Martie cried, sitting down and helping herself to some of the pancakes.

Matthew smiled and sat across from her. He was dressed up, Martie noted, wearing a clean-pressed suit and a plain blue tie. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"Oh" Matthew shrugged, "I have a meeting to go to after this. For work."

Martie nodded as she lathered her pancakes in butter, "What'dya do?"

"Oh. I work in the government," Matthew replied, smiling, "It's an interesting job. Deals mainly with improving, or at least trying to improve foreign relations, you know? Strengthen ties with other countries…maybe create new ones…"

"I see" Martie nodded, digging into her pancake. She had taken a few bites, when she became aware of Matthew staring at her, a look of utmost horror written on his features.

"Um…is something the matter?" she asked, after swallowing her mouthful.

"You..you didn't put any maple syrup on it…"

"Yea, well I don't really like maple syrup that much." Martie responded, shrugging.

Matthew dropped the fork he was holding, "You don't like maple syrup!" he cried, "But…but…how!"

"I dunno" Martie frowned, "What? People have different tastes! I like the fake stuff, you know the corn syrup stuff? Yea. That's good, but I'm not too fond of real maple syrup."

Matthew stared at her, the look of complete disbelief never fading, when a sudden knock on the door suddenly startled the two of them. "Wait here" he told her, leaving the kitchen to answer the door.

"Geez. Wonder what his problem is" Martie mumbled to herself, turning back to her pancakes. However, she had no sooner picked up her fork, when she was greeted with the strangest sight. Across from her, where Matthew had been sitting, was a bear. Martie recognized it as the bear that she had first seen when Matthew's friend had barreled into her that day at the bus stop, but at the time, she had thought it was a stuffed animal. However, now it stared at her, cocking its head slightly before shrugging, and leaning over to eat Matthew's pancakes (which, Martie noted, had been _smothered_ in maple syrup).

Martie stared at the creature for a few seconds as it continued to eat, looking hesitantly over her shoulder for Matthew, before shrugging and digging into her own meal.

"Ahh…Katy! Yes, it was a wonderful surprise for you to come pick me up…"

Matthew's voice floated down the hall from the doorway, and Martie heard a soft tinkle of laughter in return. Slipping out of her chair, she peeked into the hallway where Matthew was talking to a woman, who was flanked by two people. As Mathew shifted slightly, Martie was able to fully see the woman. She was pretty, with short, pale hair and a yellow hair band. Martie couldn't fully see the woman's eyes, as she was laughing, but what probably caught Martie's attention first and foremost was the woman's chest. She possible had the largest boobs Martie had ever seen in her entire life, and as Martie watched, the poor button that held her shirt clasped over the giant chest seemed to cry out in pain.

"Um…well, I think we need to get going, no?"

Martie caught the uncomfortable tone in Matthew's voice, and started slightly, her attention slipping to her newly-appointed guardian. Why was Matthew worried about this woman? She seemed nice enough, but strangely, the air around her seemed to be filled with some sort of evil aura…

Martie's attention shifted from the giant-chested woman to the people standing behind her. One was a huge man with a gigantic nose, wearing a cream-colored scarf and carrying well, a metal pipe. His eyes, violet, were widened in fear, and he seemed to be trying to crouch behind the metal pipe. Martie followed the man's line of vision, and found herself staring at the other person behind the first woman, who was also a woman. She was beautiful, with pale, silver hair that seemed to shimmer past her shoulders and down her back, and silver-bluish eyes. However, in her right hand, she clenched a knife tightly, and in her left, she held the man's scarf. She seemed to be muttering to herself, and despite the ridiculous difference in stature between the large man and the beautiful woman, Martie could instantly tell _why_ the man was trying to disappear behind his pipe.

"No, no Katy…um…Kumajiro's out..so, so.."

"Oh, it's ok dear! I've seen him before…he's such a sweetie!"

"The kitchen's a terrible mess!"

"Oh, it's fine. I'm sure I've seen messier!"

"No, no…It's terribly embarrassing…"

As Martie watched, Matthew tried to make excuse after excuse for Boobs (as Martie had so eloquently dubbed her) not to come in. She cast a glance back into the kitchen, which was spotless. Strange. Why wouldn't Matthew want a woman like that in his house? Most guys Martie knew would be tripping over themselves to make someone like Boobs feel at home.

She looked back over at Boob's companions…perhaps it was because of Big Nose with a Pipe and Psycho Bitch? The three looked somewhat similar, siblings then? Boobs seemed to have taken a rather strong liking to Matthew, Martie noted as the conversation went on, which could only mean…oh.

Eyes narrowing slightly, Martie glared at the back of Matthew's head from her hiding spot. So that's how it was…well. Martie wouldn't stand for the poor girl to be led on any further. Steeling herself, Martie was about to step into the hallway when a sudden tugging caught her attention. Looking down, she was somewhat surprised to see the bear looking up at her, its dark eyes seemingly blank. It shook its head and tugged harder on her sleeve

"What?" Martie hissed, glaring at the bear, "It's not right. He should tell her that he decided to adopt a kid, and moreover, a _teenager_ if she's going to continue to date him!"

Again, the bear shook its head and tugged on her sleeve.

"He's leading her on!" Martie whispered, "It's not fair! She has a right to know about me if she's dating him!"

A shake and a tug.

"You don't understand! You can't trust men, look what my father did to my mothe-wait." Martie paused for a second, staring at the bear, "I'm talking to a freaking _bear_." She said, staring at the creature, "What the hell is wrong with me! Screw this, I'm going to go talk to that lady!"

Martie yanked her sleeve out of the bear's grasp, just as the door slammed. Looking around the corner, Martie was disappointed to only see a worried-looking Matthew.

"Who was she?" Martie asked, her eyes slightly narrowed.

"O..Oh" Matthew smiled, "H..her? Um..she..she…"

"_You scum_" Martie growled, "You know, when I first met you, I thought you were ok! But…you…just dating that poor girl and not telling her you decided to adopt a kid! You're all the same, aren't you? You, my father, you don't give a damn how bad you hurt women do you!"

"Martie…look."

"Don't you even _try_ to talk your way out of this one!"

"I'm not, now if you would just listen…"

"NO!" she shook her head, the emotions, the thoughts, everything she had been holding back in the past few days since her mother's death, everything she had repressed bubbling to the surface, "NO! I…I won't! I…" the tears started flowing freely now, pouring out, overflowing, "He hurt her so bad…did you know that? He left her, nobody really knows how hard it is to be a single mother…how hard she worked…everything…I..I…I can't forgive him. Ever…what he did, it was…it was..just…I…he destroyed her. She…she gave him everything..and what did she get in return?"

_"I'm a fool sweetie…a complete and utter __fool…__Oh god, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't able to give you everything you deserved…I'm sorry you couldn't have what you wanted, dear…I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry…"_

"Nothing!" Martie screamed at Matthew, unable to see straight because of her sobbing, "Nothing! Sh..she worked so hard…d..do you know w..what she said to me b..before..before…she apologized! S..she w…worked so hard..and…and…she…she _apologized_! I…" Martie was crying too hard now, unable to finish her sentence, "I..I won't l..let you…h..hurt that…tha..that girl…!"

A warmth engulfed her, and Martie looked up, startled. Strong arms circled her, holding her close. Matthew had hugged her, rocking her back and forth slightly, "Martie..Martie, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..for what… your father did…but I…I would _never_ hurt Katy like that."

"L..liar." Martie said weakly, trying to push the man away, her tears staining his dress shirt.

He hugged her tighter, "No." Matthew shook his head firmly, "I'm sure your father's circumstances and mine are very different…I won't hurt Katy…I love her too much."

The earnest tone of Matthew's voice spoke in greater volumes than his promises, and Martie looked up at the man, still crying, but calming down slightly, "H…how …how can I tr..trust you?"

"Would you like to talk to her?" Matthew asked, smiling gently and releasing her, keeping his hands on her shoulders.

Martie thought for a second then nodded, "Y…yes" she managed to get out between a hiccup, "I…I want to meet her."

Matthew nodded, "Alright. Alright…that's reasonable. Fine. You can meet her…just not the two people that were with her…especially the man."

"B…Big nose with a pipe?" Martie asked, sniffling, "W…why?"

"He's crazy" Matthew responded shortly, "And unfortunately, rather large…plus, well, this may sound harsh, but, well, I…I don't think he'd really like you…"

Martie frowned, "But why…? I…I've ne…never met him before…And that…that Ps…Psycho Bitch lo…looked scarier."

Matthew chuckled, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket and offering it to Martie, "Big Nose with a Pipe and Psycho Bitch, huh? You come up with interesting names…too bad they aren't very inaccurate…"

Martie smiled weakly, and laughed, "F…Fine" she agreed, nodding, "T..tonight. I…I get to meet her tonight."

* * *

**and i said there would be no pairings in this fic. oh well. i lied. bam. canadaXukraine. idk why i liek that pairing so much...yea..and i don't think martie should meet russia...**

**SO I FINALLY DID SOMETHING MARY SUE-ISH TO MARTIEEE! I BASED ONE OF HER CHARASTERISTICS OFF MY OWN! *legasp* XD yea~i don't liek maple syrup either. i mean, that is assuming that she isn't already a mary sue..oh shit. *worryworry* i swear, writing OCs are one of the hardest things to do..once you can create a chara that's actually good..yea..it's hard. **

**ehehe~and then i was talking to my friend, and i'm sure you've all read "My Immortal" (i think someone mentioned it in one of the comments) XD i love that story..it's so damn hilarious...anywho..apparently the way to tell if your OC is a mary sue is if their outfits are like that...if you've read it you kno what i'm talking about. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry it took so long to update this. Orz. . Hopefully, they'll come more regularly now. Anywho. Hope ya'll have a fantastic New Year! **

* * *

After Matthew left for work, Martie trailed aimlessly back into the kitchen, watching as the bear, who had returned to his seat, finished off what was left of the pancakes. Once he was done, he ambled out of the kitchen, and Martie decided to start cleaning up. There was no school today nor was there for the rest of the week, and as Martie was out of swimming until her leg recovered, she had nowhere to be the rest of the day.

She had just finished the dishes when the doorbell rang. Wiping her hands on the towel, she hobbled over to the door, and opened it.

"Heya Martie!"

"Alice?" Martie exclaimed, rather surprised "How did you know where I was?"

"I've got amazing stalker skills." Alice responded, breezing past Martie and into the condo, "Wow? This is your new place? It's freaking huge!"

"Yea" Martie nodded, "It's nice, I suppose."

"What's up?" Alice asked, frowning slightly, "Something wrong with your new parents?"

"Umm, no, not parents, Matthew."

"Only one?"

"Yea."

"Oh" Alice responded, "So? How is he? If he decided to adopt you, he's probably old, right? Empty nester? Had a family, his own kids are all grown up and decided to raise another one?"

"No." Martie shook her head, "He's actually quite young. It's terribly strange, actually."

"Whaddya mean?"

"He can't be older than 23" Martie responded slowly, limping over to the couch in the living room and sitting down, "And he's rather attractive. He has some professional job in the government dealing with international affairs, yet he looks like he still belongs in college. He lives alone, didn't mention any relatives save a brother, he's clearly well off, and he decided to adopt a girl that's only what? 5 years younger than him?"

"Maybe he's one of those creeper perverts" Alice said, her eyes widened, "Like, he wants to make it so you're completely dependent on him and then just use you as a fuck toy."

"That's gross." Martie responded, wrinkling her nose slightly, "And simply doesn't make any sense. If he wanted something to fuck, he could've just bought a whore, or picked a chick up. He's young, pretty damn hot, and is in _New _York. Picking up one night stands should be easy for him. Not to mention, he's got a girlfriend-"

"Maybe she's really ugly but rich so he keeps her around for money!" Alice interrupted.

"I've seen her" Martie said drily, "And she's _not_ ugly. She's very hot, actually, and her boobs are the size of small planets. Furthermore, I am _meeting_ her tonight, so that eliminates all of your perverted little theories."

"Hmph" Alice responded, frowning slightly and thumping down on the couch next to Martie.

"Good god, girl, are you actually _disappointed_?" Martie asked, glaring at her friend.

"Well…You know, if you got raped and murdered, I would, um, totally investigate the case!" Alice said, "Not that I would want you to get raped or murdered, I mean, I could totally avenge you and everything, wouldn't that be cool? It could, like be my big break-OW!"

Martie had smacked Alice across the face with a pillow, "You want me to go get _raped_ and _die_ so you can get your fucking career started! What kind of friend are you!"

"An awesome one?" Alice suggested, smiling hesitantly, "aww…Martie, c'mon you know you love me!"

"Fuck off"

"Don't be like that!" Alice said, poking her friend in her stomach, "Martie! C'moooonnnn..we should hang out today!"

After glaring at Alice for a few seconds, Martie sighed, "Fine. Where do you wanna go?"

"I dunno. Wanna just wander around? Actually…" Alice reached into her purse, and after shuffling around some, produced two tickets, "My mom got me tickets for some tour of the UN building, if you wanted to go…"

"The UN building?" Martie asked, disbelief etched across her face, "We're on _Spring Break_ and you wanna go tour the UN building!"

"I don't want to go!" Alice protested, "My mom's being all bitchy and is making me go! She's complaining that I'm not culturally educated enough or some bullshit like that!"

"Well why do I have to come?"

"Because you're a wonderful person and you love me?"

"No."

"C'mooonnn. Please?" Alice begged, "I'll get you ice cream after!"

Martie raised an eyebrow, "Any ice cream I want?"

"Yes. C'mon, it's only a 45 minute tour! And after that, we can actually _do_ something."

"Fine." Martie sighed, rolling her eyes.

* * *

They arrived at the UN building around noon, though the tour did not start for another hour. As wandering the streets of New York in the middle of the day while handicapped was not the brightest idea, the two girls went into a nearby Starbucks and bought drinks while waiting.

Martie had taken a few sips of her latte when something caught her eye from the window. Looking up, she caught sight of a cream colored scarf, and with a slight jolt of surprise, recognized its wearer.

"Alice, look. Do you see that man?" Martie asked, pointing him out as he moved down the street.

"You mean the giant that's dressed like it's the middle of the winter that stands out like a sore thumb?" Alice asked, "It's somewhat hard to miss him. What about him?"

"You remember I was telling you about Matthew's girlfriend?"

"Matthew? Who's that again?"

"The guy who adopted me."

"Oh. Oh yea. What about her?"

"That guy was with her this morning. I think they're related or something…"

"Hm..really?"

"Yea…wait, what's he doing?"

The man had been wandering down the street, pausing to look at various shop windows as people jostled around him. However, suddenly, he stiffened, sent a panicked look behind him, and after looking wildly around for a few seconds, ducked into the same Starbucks where Martie and Alice sat. He ran past the two girls and into the bathroom, locking the door behind him and ignoring the angry yells of the barista, telling him that the bathroom was "for customer use only".

Alice looked at Martie, clearly mystified, who shrugged her shoulders in response, "Maybe he saw something or heard something? I don't know…it seemed like he was running from someone."

"But who?"

Alice's question was soon answered a few seconds later. Wrenching the door open, a beautiful young woman came running into the Starbucks. Martie let out a soft gasp, "Alice, look! That woman, she was also with Matthew's girlfriend and the man this morning."

Alice glanced over to the woman, who was looking at various customers all over the Starbucks. Catching Alice's stare, the woman marched over to where the two girls sat, "Have you seen Brother?" her voice was heavily accented and rather beautiful. Truth be told, she was a very pretty lady, and would have undoubtedly been hit on time and time again, had it not been for the terrible glare that had affixed itself on her features and the dark presence that seemed to be exuded from her very being.

"Brother?" Martie asked, gulping slightly, "Um..who are you talking about?"

The woman's glare shifted over to her, and for a second seemed to intensify, "You look like that whore that Brother has taken such an interest in." she responded coldly.

"Did you just call me a whore?"

"The same eyes at least" the women said, totally ignoring Martie's statement, "With eyes like that, there is no way I can trust you." She straightened and looked around the Starbucks one last time, "I will find him…and then we shall be married, married, married…" still muttering under her breath, the woman hurried out of the store.

"Good god what the fuck was that?" Alice asked, staring after the woman.

"I don't know." Martie said softly, looking shocked as well, "Um…psycho much?"

Alice nodded, her eyes never leaving the door the woman had exited.

"Is she gone?"

Martie and Alice started. Kneeling by the table and looking up at the two girls was the man who had run into the bathroom earlier, "Um…yea." Martie nodded, "Who was that?"

"My sister" the man said, peering around the store. He spoke in a heavy Eastern European accent, "She is…ah…somewhat unstable, no?"

"Dude, try totally fucking crazy." Alice said, shaking her head, "What's up with her?"

"Um…well, she wants to get married…and…"

"She's your sister and she wants to marry you!"

"We have had a very hard childhood." The man responded, "We were at a meeting and had just gotten on lunch break. She started chasing me, and I ducked into the first place I saw."

"Where'dya work?" Martie asked as the man finally deemed it safe to straighten up. He was huge, Martie realized as he stood to his full height, a giant.

"I had a meeting at the UN building." The man said, "I am in the government."

"Oh, that's cool!" Martie exclaimed, "I know someone in the government."

"That is very interesting." The man finally looked down at the two girls, and upon making eye contact with Martie, seemed to smirk slightly, "Very interesting indeed."

Martie shifted uncomfortably under the man's gaze. His eyes were beautiful, she realized a pale violet and seemingly depthless. However, they were empty, blank, and filled her with a sense of apprehension.

"Thank you for not helping my sister." The man smiled, an innocent and almost childish expression that seemed off on his large frame, "I have a feeling that we will be seeing each other in the future, child. However, for now, goodbye."

With that he was gone. Martie shivered as he left, and looked down at her arm, surprised to find them covered in goose bumps despite the warm weather outside.

* * *

The UN tour was, as usual, predictable and boring. As the tour guide droned on about this or that, Martie glared at Alice, still somewhat miffed at her friend for dragging her along. Every now and then a delegate or ambassador or something like that would hurry by, and give the tour group a strange look, or completely ignore them.

"Hey Alice" Martie whispered as another statesperson ran by, "Have you noticed that these people are really young?"

Alice frowned, then nodded, "Yea…actually, I was kinda wondering that myself…I mean, aren't ambassadors and those kinds of people supposed to be all old and wrinkly? I've been checking out a few of the ones that have run by…especially that one brunette? _Damn_ his ass was _hot_. And his eyes? I totally love green eyes…Too bad he was gay."

"How'd you know he was gay?"

"Well, if not gay, bi. He was _totally_ flirting with this other guy…didn't you see him? That other brunette? He had brown eyes and a strange curl thing sticking out of the side of his head? They were speaking Spanish…and I don't know if I heard him correctly, my Spanish isn't the best and whatnot, but I could've _sworn_ he called the other man "his little tomato" and some other strange pet names."

"So a bunch of gay and hot ambassadors determining international relations and affairs?" Martie asked, laughing lightly, "As if that would ever happen. They're probably just interns or aids."

"You're probably right" Alice nodded, hurrying to catch up with their tour group.

* * *

After the tour ended, the two girls headed to the nearest ice cream parlor. Martie got a waffle scone with a double scoop of mint chocolate chips and cookie dough, and Alice settle for strawberry.

They sat at a table in the back, licking their cones and talking about various mundane topics.

"You know, at the tour today, it was kinda weird." Alice suddenly said, frowning.

"What was?"

"Some of the people working there seemed to recognize you." Alice said, shrugging, "Like, they would hurry by, then pause and look back at you as if they had seen you before. It happened, like three or four times. Each time I thought they were going to come talk to you, but they usually didn't and just ran off."

"Weird" Martie said, "Why would they recognize me…?"

"Perhaps it was your mom?" Alice suggested, "She worked in the military, right?"

"Yes, but only ever became a private" Martie said, "She wasn't any high ranking officer or anything. Also, she told me often that I looked more like my father than her."

"Well I don't know then." Alice said, shrugging as she polished off the last of her ice cream, "You've never done anything in the government, right?"

"Alice, I'm a fucking high school student." Martie said, flatly, "Of course I've never done anything. What, do you think I'm an international spy or something?"

"You can't deny that it would be pretty cool" Alice responded, pouting, "You done with your ice cream?"

"Yea" Martie nodded, gulping down the last of her cone, "What do you want to do now?"

"Well, seeing how I'm absolutely broke at the moment, it must be something that costs no money" Alice said, "Wanna just go back to your place and hang out? We could watch TV or something"

"Sounds good to me." Martie nodded, standing up.

* * *

They spent the rest of the day watching re-runs of _America's Top Model_ and eating whatever they could find in the house. The bear seemed to have disappeared (Martie had come to the conclusion that it could pretty much take care of itself), and as the day wore on and faded into night, Martie couldn't help but wonder when exactly Matthew was coming home.

As if reading her mind, Alice suddenly spoke up, "Hey. When's this guy coming back? I want to meet him."

Martie shrugged, "Well…he's in the government, so his work must be pretty busy, I assume. So perhaps he just comes home late usually."

At that point, there was a scratching from the door, and the two sat up.

"Is that him?"

"Mebbe?" Martie frowned, listening, "But I can hear more than one voice coming from the hallway…"

"A burglar?"

"I don't know…"

There was a thump, and Martie looked back at Alice, clearly mystified. Grabbing the first thing she came across that could possibly used as a weapon, a hockey stick that had been for some strange reason lying in the hallway, Alice crept into the hallway, Martie trying to muffle the sound of her crutches as she followed.

"Geroff me, frog. I may be drunk, but I'm not that drunk yet."

"Looks like you failed, Francis. Art's still got half his mind."

"Well, we can certainly remedy that."

Voices, loud and somewhat disoriented could be heard from the hallway, and as Martie and Alice peered around the corner, three men came into view. One was an albino, white-haired with red eyes. The other was a blonde, with long wavy hair, stubble, and blue eyes. The third, Martie instantly recognized as Matthew's friend, the one she had run into her at the bus station the other day. They were clearly drunk, staggering around and using the walls and each other as support. Eventually, they made it to the couch and collapsed into a large heap, piled on top of each other.

"How'd you get into here anyways?" the albino asked, poking the blue-eyed man.

"Ahh…Mathieu dear has given me the key to his wonderful abode" the other responded, speaking with a slight French accent, "I am quite sure he will not mind us staying the night, as I do not think any of us are really in shape to get down to our own lodgings…"

"Matt and Al, aren't they still at the pub?" the man that had run into Martie spoke up, raising his head to look as his companions.

"Yea." the albino nodded, "With everyone else…that's why Toni refused to come with us…idiot wanted to hang around his "precious little Lovino"

"Ahhhh…wondering why there were only two idiots here." Eyebrows responded, "Either way. We're not pissed enough to make decisions we will horribly regret the next morning, so I think I can get to Al's place." With that, the man tried to stand, swaying unsteadily for a few minutes before collapsing, "Never mind then" he moaned, "And Francis, get yer hand outta my pants, or I will castrate you."

Alice looked at Martie, clearly uncomfortable, "What should we do?" she mouthed, jerking her head in the direction of the drunken group that had collapsed onto the couch.

Martie shrugged, "Tell them to get out? They seem to be Matthew's friends though…" she whispered.

"Is someone there?" the blue eyed blonde spoke up, looking in the direction of where Martie and Alice were crouched.

"Fuck" Alice cursed.

"You know, whoever you are, you're not very good at sneaking around" the man said, "When someone asks "Is someone there" You're supposed to remain silent, not curse."

Alice growled slightly before stepping into view, holding the hockey stick to her chest and partially shielding Martie, "I don't know who you people are, but please get out of here."

"Oh?" Albino spoke up, raising an eyebrow, "It's a little girl with a stick. Well, I've got a better question…what are you doing here? We have a key to this place, the owner gave it to us, so I think we've got more of a right to be here than you."

"I _live_ here, you drunken fool!" Martie cried, sticking her head over Alice's shoulder and glaring at the man, "So I beg to differ!"

"You!" Eyebrows sat up, pointing at Martie, "Didn't I run into you at the bus station? You live here?"

"Yea." Martie said, hobbling around Alice so she could get a clearer view of the men, "Matthew adopted me."

"Mathieu what!" Stubble looked surprised, "He _adopted _you!"

"Yes" Martie responded, not backing down, "What's it to you?"

"I knew he was acting strange!" Eyebrows crowed triumphantly, "See? At the bus stop, he didn't want me to talk to you…but why?" he stared intently at Martie for a few seconds, his frown deepening, "He kept cutting me off when I tried to mention Al…"

"Al?" Martie asked.

"Alfred. You look like him."

"Alfred!" Martie cried, a sudden jolt of excitement running through her, "You know an Alfred?"

"Yes." Eyebrows shrugged, "He's Matt's brother."

"Oh." Martie deflated slightly, "Yea. I knew Matthew had an Alfred as a brother…oh well."

"Why?" Albino asked, butting into the conversation, "You're looking for an Alfred?"

Martie nodded, reaching into her shirt and pulling out the dog tags, "Yea…but not an Alfred Williams…I need an Alfred F. Jones."

"That's Matt's bro" Albino said, "Alfred F. Jones."

"What!" Martie cried out, "But..but, his last name is Williams!"

"They don't share the same last name"

"Do you know him!"

"Yea…" Albino frowned, "Why are you trying to find him though?"

"He's my father."

* * *

**Ehehe. Cliffhangeeer~I'm a terrible person, I know. Anywho. Thanks so much for putting up with my ridiculous absence and staying with this fic! **


	8. Chapter 8

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**Sorry that this chapter is shorter, but I personally hate cliffhangers and figured it would be mean to leave everyone hanging for too long...so here's the next installement out as fast as I could! :D Enjoy, and thank you so much for all your support! When I got such good feedback on the last chapter, I was so shocked but happy that some people had actually stuck to the story despite my extended absence. Thank you so much!**

* * *

There was a moment of shocked silence. Martie could feel her cheeks heat up as the men stared at her for a few minutes before Albino and Stubble burst out laughing, "You're kidding! Oh kid, you've got no idea what you just claimed right?" Albino managed to gasp out, as he rolled off the couch "Alfred? Your father? Oh, that's _rich_!"

"It's true!" Martie exclaimed, her cheeks flushed, "He's my father! Look! My mother left me his dog tag and cross!"

Eyebrows was the only one who hadn't started laughing, but rather stared at Martie rather intensely before standing (the alcohol seemed to have slightly worn off), crossing over to the room and leaning over, staring at Martie.

"Dude, back off." Alice growled, holding the hockey stick up, "Don't take advantage of a cripple."

"I'm not a cripple, thank you very much Alice." Martie growled.

"Are too."

"Am not."

"I'm not going to do anything, ok?" Eyebrows said, holding his hands up in a gesture of surrender, "Your face…I knew it was familiar."

"You're actually taking her seriously Art?" Albino asked from his position on the floor, "I mean, c'mon. Alfred F. Jones isn't the most uncommon name, now is it? She probably has a different Alfred as a father."

"Then why would Matthew adopt her? Look at her" Eyebrows straightened up, "She looks like him."

"That's not too terribly uncommon" Stubble said, shaking his head, "Arthur, think of it seriously. Alfred? Have a kid? No, have a normal child?"

"He's done more foolish things" Eyebrows said.

"No…no, it's just not possible." Albino shook his head, "C'mon Art. Since when has any of us ever had a normal child?"

"This is Alfred" Eyebrows responded, "Since when has he met convention?"

"Touché" Stubble nodded, "How about this? We wait for dear Mathieu to come back and ask him? Hmm?"

"Or call him." Eyebrows pulled out a cell, punched a few buttons, and turned away from Martie. After a few seconds, he spoke again, "Matthew? Yes, this is Arthur, look are you getting home soon? Oh, you are? That's fantastic. Why? I was just curious, wanted to make sure that you got a good night's sleep, we have a meeting tomorrow, after all…ok. Splendid, then. I will see you later."

Eyebrows hung up and slipped the phone back into his pocket, "And now, we wait."

* * *

They didn't have long to wait; within ten minutes, there was a scratching from the front door and a few seconds after that, Matthew walked into the room. He froze when he saw the three men, Stubble and Albino on the couch and Eyebrows glaring at him, his arms crossed. As his gaze sliding over to where Martie stood next to Alice, he let out a sigh, "I guess you found out then, huh?" he said, shrugging his suit jacket off.

"Matthew" Eyerbrows said, his face deadly serious, "Who is this girl?"

"Didn't she tell you?"

"She told me that she's Alfred's child."

"And she is"

"_What!_" Eyebrows exploded, "Alfred, as in your brother Alfred? Alfred the moron who sits next to me at the meeting? Alfred as in the United- Matthew, are you serious! How! When did this happen! Good god, what in the name of Gordon Bennet was he thinking! He can't have a kid!"

"I don't know!" Matthew threw his hands up, "Why don't you talk to the idiot? He's the one who did it! I'm just trying to help, damnit!"

"Why the hell did you adopt her?" Eyebrows yelled back, "Don't you think it would be better if she never knew about Alfred, never knew about you! Now how are you going to explain all of this to her?"

"ASK ALFRED" Matthew's voice had also risen in volume, "THIS WAS ALL HIS IDEA!"

"WHY DID YOU LISTEN TO HIM! HE'S A BLOODY FOOL! I MEAN, LOOK, HE APPARNETLY HAS A KID!"

"BECAUSE!" Matthew ran a hand through his hair, "I…I don't know, ok? Just, he asked"

"So you helped him. Do you really think it better that she find out about him?"

"No, but…"

"Exactly. Now we've got a problem on our ha-" Eyebrows was cut off as a flying pillow smacked him in the face.

"I don't appreciate being talked about like I'm not here when I'm right next to you." Martie growled, glaring at Eyebrows

"And I don't appreciate you chucking pillows at me, young lady."

"Don't call me young lady."

"Don't throw pillows at me."

"Make me" Martie said, picking up another pillow.

"Haven't you ever been told to "respect your elders"?"

"Yea, but that's only with really old elders" Martie replied, "You're only what? 3 years older than me? 5?"

Arthur smirked, "No, child. I'm much older than that."

"Sure as hell don't act it."

"Look who's talking."

"Whatever, eyebrow freak."

"Immature brat"

"Stupidhead"

"Takes one to know one."

The two were interrupted by Stubble, who had begun chuckling while watching them fight, "Alright, Arthur" he said, still laughing, "You've convinced me. She certainly acts like him."

"No I don't!" Martie protested, blushing, "We're nothing alike!"

"Oh really?" Stubble asked, "You've never met him before, non? Contrary to what you may wish to believe, you _do_ look like him and furthermore, the way you interact with our dear little Arthur is exactly the same manner that he does. Come, child. What is your name? Let me guess…Martha?"

"How did you know?"

"It would only be natural." Stubble shrugged, "You weren't a boy, so he couldn't give you the name of his "Father", the name he himself asked to take at one point, so he named you after that man's wife…I suppose she was his "mother" then? Also, "Martha" is the name of the wife of the man who wrote his birthright."

"His "Father"? His birthright?" Martha was fully confused by now, "What do you mean?"

"You don't know what your father is, do you?"

"Frog, that's enough." Eyebrows suddenly spoke up, glaring at the other, his hands balled into fists, "We can't just tell her…"

"And why not?"

"He's right" Stubble shrugged, "If anyone tells you the truth, it must be dear little Alfred himself."

"How do you know him?" Martie suddenly asked.

"We have a history…going rather far back." Eyebrows said, frowning.

"Friends?"

"Sweetie, they're more than _just_ friends" Albino suddenly spoke up, cackling as Eyebrows started blushing.

"Q…Quiet you!"

"Are you the reason he left then?" Martie asked, swallowing down the sudden lump that had appeared in her throat.

"The reason he left?" Eyebrows look confused.

"The reason he left my mom." Martie nodded, "Did…did he leave her for you?"

"Wait, what!" Eyebrows had turned a brilliant shade of red now, finally understanding what Martie was implying, "Oh god…no. No. No no no."

"But you have a relationship with him"

"Look, let's not talk about that and focus back to the matter at hand!" Eyebrows cried, refusing to look at Stubble and Albino as they cracked up behind him, "Matthew! What are you planning on doing now!"

"I don't know" Matthew said, looking unbelievable frustrated, "Why don't you try calling the moron who started this whole mess in the first place?"

"Call Alfred." Arthur nodded, "Yes. That sounds like a good idea. That idiot, I swear when I get my hands on him…"

"You aren't the only one that wants to kill him"

Eyebrows pulled his phone out again and punch the keys again. He waited for a few minutes, his face scrunched up in a scowl.

"Alfred F. Jones." Eyebrows suddenly said into the phone, his tone deadly serious, "I swear, I am going to kill you. What's the matter? I'm at Matthew's place right now. That's right. Your brother Matthew. Yes, so you probably know why I'm ready to bash your empty head into the counter and rip your spinal cord out. _Get your arse over here now._"

With that, Eyebrows hung up, glaring at the phone, "He should be here in half an hour." He finally said.

An uncomfortable silence settled over the group, and Martie shifted uncomfortably, looking over at Alice. Reminded of something that had bothered her since he said it, she turned her attention to Stubble who was leaning back on the couch, looking rather amused, "Um. Excuse me?" she asked, catching his attention.

"Oui?"

"Um. What you said about my fath-about Alfred. What do you mean by I don't know what he is?"

Stubble's smirk seemed to grow, and he shrugged, "What is so hard to understand about that question?"

"Frog, be quiet" Eyebrows said suddenly.

"I'm not going to tell her" Stubbles said, still smirking, "But it is only fair that I give her some clues, non?"

"Tell me what?"

"Francis, you keep your mouth shut!"

"Your name" Stubbles said, "Tell me, when I ask you to name famous Marthas, who do you think of?"

"Martha Stewart?" Alice asked.

"No, not her" Stubbles shook his head, "Any others?"

"Um…" Martie shrugged, "Martha Washington? Martha Jefferson? Um…"

"Exactly"

"What?" Martie said, completely nonplussed, "What do they have anything to do with this?"

"That's enough!" Eyebrows suddenly said, "We can't tell her anything, so keep your mouth shut Francis!"

"_Tell me what_!"

"As our dear short tempered Englishman said, I cannot tell you" Stubbles shrugged, "But child, I will say one thing; I know Alfred far better than you think I do. And perhaps you will completely disregard my opinion, as you do not know me, but Alfred did not leave your mother because he wanted to."

"Then why did he leave?"

Stubbles' smirk seemed to slip off his face, "It's something you wouldn't understand. The weight he carries…the weight all of us carry is no light one. Had I been in Alfred's position…I would have most likely done the same thing. Except for this. I would have made no attempt to contact you, but made sure that you never met me. He is foolish, young, and naïve" Stubble was no longer smiling, but frowning, his eyes downcast, "He believes there is nothing he cannot do, no obstacle he cannot overcome. And because of his confidence, some may even call it arrogance, he has and will continue to suffer. It has gotten him very far in this world, undoubtedly. Without that mentality, he would certainly not be the Alfred we all know now, would not hold the same power and strength or carry the same vast responsibilities that he has now. But there are problems with any characteristic in this world. Understand I mean him no harm. We are friends, as far as our kind go. But this crass mistake…not having a child, but choosing to make contact with his child will prove to be disastrous."

"What do you mean?" Martie cried, "You would just choose to abandon a woman who carried your child? You would just let the child grow up fatherless, you would let the woman take the entire responsibility? My mother…" Martie stifled down the tears that were threatening to build up in her eyes, "My mother never got over him. And you! You try to justify his actions…you coward!"

Stubble smiled, his expression somewhat weary, "I have been called a coward many times" he said, "By many people, your father included. But how is what I do cowardice? Because I wish my child to be safe, because I wish my people to be happy? Perhaps I am blind, but I do not see the cowardice in such actions. It isn't something you would understand."

"Don't underestimate me because I'm young!" Martie said, her hands clenched at her sides, "I understand more than you care to think I do! You don't believe in me? Well why don't you try me!"

Albino suddenly began cracking up, "Oh god! You really _are_ his child! He once said the same thing to me, girl, the same expression, the same stupid determination…" he trailed off, his red eyes crinkled in mirth, "But then you weren't facing quite what he was, now were you?" he asked, looking pointedly at Eyebrows who had turned away.

"Shut it." Eyebrows said, "We are waiting for Alfred. Quit the stupid blathering, you morons."

There was a sudden banging on the door and the group jumped.

Eyebrow cleared his throat, and nodded, "Come in."

* * *

**So...I got this out faster so I would leave you on a cliffhanger..and sorta left you on another one. Orz. Please forgive me, I'm already working on the next chapter! *hurries off* Reviews are much love and motivation! **


	9. Chapter 9

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**So there's a bidding going on at the LJ comm to raise money for the Queensland floodings and while the bidding closes wed I think, there's still time and you should totally go bid on shit. I offered to write a fic, but there are so many other amazing offers, many of which aren't even Hetalia-related that you should check out. There are purses and crafts and arts on sale..and everything goes to the flooding in Queensland. So you should def. check it out. PM me/comment on this fic if you want a link to the site! :D**

**Anywho...Please enjoy! **

* * *

When Martie had been younger, she believed that her father would come back eventually. He was just gone temporarily, she told herself. After all, her father loved her and wouldn't leave her, now would he? All fathers loved their children; it was simply a biological mechanism that was inevitable no matter who the father was or what had happened. As she had aged, however, and realized that he was never coming back, she had drastically changed his image. She saw him as a sleazy con, a horrible person and whose terrible lifestyle had left him ugly and decrepit.

The man who entered however, was not old, ugly, nor decrepit. He was rather handsome, and looked only a few years older than Martie, perhaps in his late teens or early twenties, with blonde hair and bright blue eyes framed by glasses. With a jolt, Martie realized she had seen him before, at the state swim meet and his face shared a striking semblance to Matthew's.

"Alfred" Eyebrows was the first to speak, his arms crossed and expression furious.

"Um. Hey Art."

"Wait, this is Alfred?" Martie asked, frowning, "Wait. This can't be my father. He's too young. My father is in his late thirties, early forties. This can't be him."

"Looks are deceiving" Eyebrows said, his expression and tone of voice never faltering.

Martie looked back to the young man, "Are you…really my father?"

He sighed, and smiled, looking up at her, "Yes."

"Y…You…" she crossed the room, still on her crutches, slowly and as if in trance. She stopped a few feet away from him, looking up into his bright blue eyes. He looked far too young to be her father, but as she saw her own eyes reflected back in his own, she knew it to be the truth.

"Martie…I-"

Whatever else Alfred was going to say was cut off as a fist made contact with his face. Using all her strength (Martie was by no means a weak girl; swimming had toned her muscles to the point where she could hold her own against many of the boys her age) she nailed the man in the face, glaring at him as he staggered back, clutching where Martie had hit him.

"Martie!" Alice cried, rushing over to her friend and grabbing her arm, "Stop it!"

"No…I suppose I deserved that, didn't I?" Alfred said, smiling as a thin trickle of blood ran out the side of his mouth.

"You deserve much more" Martie said. She could feel the tears building up in the corners of her eyes. _I told myself I wouldn't cry_ she mentally berated herself _I wouldn't cry when I met him…wouldn't cry…_

"Why?" she finally managed to get out, "Why did you leave me? Why did you leave mom?"

Alfred had at least the sense to look ashamed, staring at the floor as he cradled his injured face, "Martha…why I left…I didn't want to leave. Please believe me."

"Then why!"

"I couldn't stay. It put both you and Jane in a terribly dangerous situation." Alfred looked up, "In my lifetime, I have made some powerful enemies, and if they caught wind of you or Jane…"

"Then why did you _even have me!_" she cried, "If you really cared about her, you should have just ended it! Not gone off and knocked her up!"

"Perhaps you're right" Alfred said, "But I don't regret what I did."

"Why you fool!"

"Because if I did that, you would have never been born."

Martie gaped at the man, shocked at his response before regaining her steam, "You…you…_Do you have any idea how much you hurt mom_!"

Alfred said nothing, biting his lower lip.

"While this is all wonderfully touching" Eyebrows suddenly said drily, "We still have to do _something_, Alfred. We can't just let her run around New York, especially this week."

"And why not?" Martie protested.

"Because it's dangerous!"

"Oh really now" Martie said, rolling her eyes, "What is it? You're all FBI agents and the mafia is having a meeting here? Or perhaps _you're _the mafia agents and you have a rival mafia here? What is it? Who are these "enemies" you keep talking about?"

"Look, child" Eyebrows said, "I don't know if this is the best way or the best time to tell you this."

"But why and stop calling me child!"

"Just stay away from the UN building" Matthew, who had been pretty much silent the whole time finally spoke up, "Martie, please. For your safety, please don't go there."

"We went there today" Alice said suddenly, "We took a tour."

"You _what!_" Alfred looked shocked, "Did you talk to anyone? Did anyone talk to you?"

"Whaddya mean?" Martie frowned, "No! Just the tour guide!"

"Did you hang around the UN building" Eyebrows asked, "Did you talk to any strangers there?"

"Well there was those two weird siblings" Alice said, frowning, "But we didn't really talk to them."

"What happened?" Alfred pressed.

"We were in Starbucks, waiting for the tour to start" Martie said, "And Matthew, you know your girlfriend?"

"Yes." Matthew nodded, "What about her?"

"You know the two people she was with? The large man with the big nose and scarf and the pretty psycho lady?"

"Ivan and Natalya?" Matthew asked, ignoring how his brother started rather suddenly, "Yes, what about them?"

"That's their names?" Martie said, "Ok. Well we, me and Alice, were sitting in the Starbucks, and I saw Ivan. He was looking at the shops, then he suddenly freaked out and ran into the Starbucks we were in. He hid in the bathroom, and psycho chick, Natalya, came in after. I think she implied I was a whore, ran off, and then he came out. Turns out that the woman was his sister and she was trying to marry him. The poor dude had to hide in the bathroom. We talked a little and he left."

"You…what?" Alfred said, his face paled, "You _talked_ to him? Oh god. Oh fucking god. All of New York. 16 fucking million people. And you run into those two."

"Alfred calm down" Eyebrows said, also looking worried, "There's a good possibility that Ivan and Natalya didn't figure it out…"

"Really? Really Art?" Alfred said, running a hand through his hair and pacing back and forth, "Really? You put the connection together. That Russian bastard's got some evil commie mind powers. He's figured it out. I know he has."

"There's a semblance, but I highly doubt Ivan figured it out" Eyebrows responded, "I mean, honestly when I first saw her I thought she looked like you but didn't instantly draw the conclusion that she was your daughter because…well, I didn't think anyone could be that goddamn stupid!"

"Did he do anything to you?" Alfred suddenly asked, whirling around and grabbing Martie by the shoulders, "Are you alright? Did he threaten you in any manner?"

"Good god, no!" Martie cried, "We talked and he left!"

"What did you say! What did he say!"

"He thanked us for not helping his psycho sister and left!" Martie said, "Now let go of me! What is your problem! Ok, so yea he seemed a bit creepy and perhaps a bit unstable, but he wasn't mean at all!"

"Ivan" Alfred let go of Martie and grabbed his hair, "Of all the fucking people it the fucking world, it's that fucking crazy bastard. Oh fuck it all!"

"What in god's name is your problem!" Martie cried, "What do you have against that man!"

"If Ivan were to do something, you know you couldn't act" Eyebrows suddenly said, "We aren't starting world war three over a single human. I don't care how important she is. Your boss would never allow it."

"Arthur…"

"No Alfred!" Eyebrows cried, shaking his head, "Too many of my children have already fallen for your causes! If you started something with him, you know I would be forced into it!"

"How about me!" Alfred yelled, "How many of _my_ people have fallen for _your_ causes? How much American blood has been spilt because of you goddamn Europeans and your inability to settle your own fucking problems!"

"Oh, you're one to talk! As if your self-righteous bullshit of spreading "democracy" or "freedom" or whatever pretty name you're tacking onto your petty attempts at imperialism are any better!"

"Self-righteous? _Imperialism!_ _Oh_ that's rich, coming from you!"

"And what do you mean by that!"

"QUIET!"

The entire room fell silent and looked at Matthew who had screamed the command, "This isn't getting us anywhere" he said, glaring at everyone, "Alfred and Arthur, _calm the fuck down_. We have no definitive proof that Ivan, or for that matter, anybody else knows anything. What we need to do now is a plan, ok? Stop yelling, stop fighting."

"Thank god one of us still has his head" Stubble said, shrugging.

Matthew nodded, "Martie, please trust us. We all really _do_ want what's best for you. Please stay away from the UN building. For this week actually, it would be best if you stayed in my house."

"That won't work Matthew." Eyebrows said, shaking his head, "If she's really this prat's kid, you know you won't be able to tell her to stay in one place without an argument."

"Martie?" Matthew asked, ignoring the other's comment, "Can you stay in here?"

"Why?" Martie asked, "Why can't I go outside? What's going on this week? Who are your enemies? What _are_ you?"

"Told you" Eyebrows shrugged, "You can't just keep her inside without providing good reasons. And even if you did, well, she'd probably just ignore you and leave, right Martha?"

"What makes you say that?"

"I know your father too well" Eyebrows said, glaring at Alfred who refused to look at him, "And unfortunately, I know what happens when you try to lock him up."

"Either way, you have my answer" Martie said, "I won't stay here unless you give me a good reason."

"Why don't you just forcibly keep her here?" Albino asked, "She's a crippled girl. Doesn't seem like a big deal to me."

"If you do, when the adoption center comes by to check on me I'll tell them that you locked me up" Martie threatened, glaring at Albino.

"Martie, please be reasonable" Matthew pleaded, "Please. Believe me when I say it's for your own good."

"Then tell me!"

"I can't!"

"Oh god" Eyebrows rubbed his face, clearly agitated, "I'm bloody tired, and I'm sure the rest of you lot are as well. We have a meeting tomorrow and we don't have time to deal with this. Alfred, this is your responsibility. Take Martha home with you tonight and talk to her."

"What!" Martie cried, looking at Eyebrows, "But-"

"Do you really not want to spend time with me that badly?" Alfred suddenly asked. His voice was somewhat quieter than Marie had become accustomed to. He wore a sad smile, somewhat worn and weary as if he had seen too much already. It was a smile that belonged on the face of an old man, not a young one like Alfred.

_Why do you feel bad?_ Martie berated herself as her insides twisted slightly. This man had abandoned her and her mother. He had left her with nothing; not even a card on her birthday or congratulations at her swim meets.

_But he was there, cheering you on._ Martha was suddenly struck with the realization. She had seen Alfred at the swim meet, and moreover, eavesdropped on him while he was talking to somebody about blowing off his boss to see his daughter swim the finals…

"_I said no. I've missed out on nearly her entire life. Give me this one thing. I don't care if my boss needs me now, Mattie, I'm just asking to be there for one thing!"_

Martie swallowed a sudden lump that had formed in the back of her throat, fighting back the tears that had appeared in the corner of her eyes, "It's not…it's not that." She said quietly, "I…I don't know if I'm ready. You haven't been there my whole life. I'm not prepared to just let you walk back in it, you know. I don't want you in my life right now. I just want answers."

"I see." Alfred said, the same sad smile never leaving his face, "That's…reasonable. But one night can't hurt, can it? Just come to my house for the night; we can talk and I can perhaps explain some things to you."

"Martie" Alice had been holding her hand the whole time and suddenly squeezed it, "Go. You might be able to get some answers this way."

Martie hesitated for a second before nodding, and looking back at Alfred, "Alright. I'll come."

* * *

Four of them clambered into Alfred's old pick up that had been parked in the garage outside of Matthew's condo. Martha and Alice sat in the back (Alfred had offered to drop Alice off at her house) and Eyebrows and Alfred sat in the front.

No sooner had they all piled in the car and adjusted their seatbelts did Eyebrows unleashed the most colorful long winded string of insults at Alfred Martie had ever heard in her life. Some of the things he said she was almost confident he had made up on the spot.

"-what were you thinking? No, clearly you weren't! You _imbecile!_ Just! This-this is stupid even by your standards! Are you insane! How are we supposed to focus on the meetings if we have to worry about _her_ on top of all our other problems!"

The ranting continued well after Alice had been dropped off and the three of them pulled up to Alfred's house. It was a large house, located in the older and richer suburbs of New York. The three climbed out of the car, and Alfred grabbed the small duffel bag Martie had brought with her. They entered the house, Alfred leading and Martie bringing up the end with a still-fuming Eyebrows in the middle.

"I'm going to bed" Eyebrows announced as soon as they had entered the house, "Good night Alfred. Martha."

He nodded stiffly, then climbed up the dark staircase that stood by the entrance, leaving Alfred and Martie alone in the foyer.

"So." Alfred said, breaking the awkward silence that had begun to stretch between the two with Eyebrow's departure, "You want some hot cocoa or cider or milk or something?"

"Some cocoa would be nice" Martie admitted, following Alfred into the living room. He dropped her duffel bag onto the couch, then headed into the kitchen with Martie trailing behind.

Though Alfred was rather good looking, especially for a middle-aged man, the house was obviously one of a bachelor, Martie noticed as they passed from the living room to the kitchen. It was a mess, odds and ends strewn all over the place and no sense of organization whatsoever. Alfred cleared off the kitchen table, indicating that Martie should sit and busied himself at the stove, pulling various ingredients and pans from the pantry.

They sat in silence as Alfred prepared the hot chocolate, Martie studying the patterns of the wooden table.

"Mini marshmallows?" Alfred suddenly asked, startling Martie.

"Ah. Yes please."

Alfred chuckled, pouring some hot chocolate into the two mugs he had set out, "So polite all of a sudden. Arthur would be proud."

"Arthur?"

"Yea. The guy that was screaming at me all the way back?"

"Oh. Eyebrows?"

"Don't let him hear you calling him that." Alfred said, bringing back the two steaming mugs to the tables, "He'll kill you. He's rather sensitive about some things, and his eyebrows are one of them."

"Oh." Martie said, accepting her mug, "Is there anything else you should warn me of? I don't exactly want an earful of what you got."

Alfred smiled, "Don't question the unicorns and fairies, avoid his cooking at all costs and if he forces on you, choke it down. Don't insult tea, embroidery, and act like you have a giant stick up your ass at all times. That'll make him happy."

Martie snorted at Alfred's last statement, "How long have you known him?"

"A very long time" Alfred said, shrugging, "Not as long as Mattie, but there you have it."

Martie nodded, sipping her cocoa, "You won't tell me why you left mom, will you?" she asked quietly, not looking directly at Alfred.

"I…I can't" Alfred said, his voice pained, "I would tell you the truth, Martie, if I could…and I will tell you someday. But as of now, I can't."

"Does it have something to do with the reason you don't want me to go near the UN building?" Martie said, "Or those siblings? Is there something there? Are you involved in something illegal?"

"Yes. It has something to do with why I don't want you going near the UN building and those siblings." Alfred responded, "It isn't illegal…but it is rather dangerous."

Martie frowned into her hot chocolate, "Don't I have the _right_ to know?" she protested, "You're my father, and you just upped when I was born and come back 16 years later. I think that entitles me to _some_ answers."

"It _does_." Alfred said, "And someday, I promise I will tell you. But that time isn't now."

"There's no way to convince you, is there?"

"No." Alfred shook his head, "But can you promise me you'll stay here and won't go to the UN building?"

"No." Martie said, "I can't promise anything, especially when I know you're hiding something and won't tell me."

"And there's no way to convince you is there?" Alfred asked.

"Yes."

"Fine" Alfred stood, his mug emptied, "I'm not going to try; that's probably pointless. But please take my words as a warning. I can't force you, but I hope you trust me."

"I want to" Martie muttered, "But how can I trust someone who's almost sixteen years late?"

"I can't give you a good answer to that" Alfred said, that sad, strange smile back on his face, "I wish I could, but I can't."

* * *

Martie snuggled under the thick quilts that Alfred had provided her. There was a spare bedroom at the far end of the upstairs hall and he had given it to her, carrying her duffel bag up before wishing her a good night.

_What does he mean by enemies?_ Martie asked herself, unable to sleep because of the events of today, _What was Stubble talking about? _

She lay there for a few minutes, pondering until she drifted off into a restless sleep.

* * *

_She was dreaming. Flexing her fingers, Martie took in her surroundings, a large and seemingly empty field. She didn't recognize the place; there was no signs of civilization whatsoever, just untamed wilderness. _

_There was a sudden shrieking from some bushes to Martie's right and she jumped as a small figure went tearing past her. It didn't get very far before it tripped on the animal skins it was wearing, screaming even more as it went down. _

_Martie approached thing writhing on the ground, surprised to discover a small blonde child with bright blue eyes. It was crying, cradling its injuries as it blathered on in a language Martie did not even recognize. _

_There was another rustling from the bushes, and Martie looked back, startled to see a large, half-naked woman emerge from the bushes. She was beautiful, with dark flashing eyes and thick dark hair. The way she carried herself spoke of nobility despite her clothing, or therefore lack of. She ignored Martie and approached the child on the ground, crouching next to him and speaking the same strange tongue. The boy who had fallen launched himself at the woman, bawling even as she comforted him. _

_Feeling as if she was thoroughly intruding on a private affair, Martie took a step back. The woman put the boy down and straightened, turning towards Martie, her dark eyes flashing. She approached Martie, placing her hand on her forehead. _

There is no need to be nervous, child.

_A woman's voice, ancient and weathered, spoke in Martie's head and she looked up at the woman, startled. _

You can hear me, yes? This is a dream, there is no reason you should not be able to.

_Martie nodded, looking up at the woman. Swallowing, she thought back_

Who are you?

_The woman smiled_

Who I am is of no significance. I am someone who has been forgotten long ago, someone you personally never knew. What is important is you pay attention to this dream; it will give you the answers you are looking for.

What do you mean?

_There was another shrieking, and Martie looked up, startled. The woman removed her hand from Martie's forehead, cast a pained look to the boy in the grass, and hesitating for only a second, slipped back into the foliage from where she came. _

_Surprised at the woman's actions, Martie looked back to where the child sat in the grass, still sniffling. A figure approached the young child, one that Martie recognized with a start as Eyebrows, or as Alfred had said, Arthur. _

"_Who are you?" Arthur murmured, approaching the young child in the grass, "You're the land aren't you? You're like me."_

_Arthur reached towards the young child, and as his hand touched the boy's head, he looked up at Martie. The world suddenly seemed to shift beneath Martie, and she fell forward as everything started blurring together. _

* * *

**And that's that. Kudos if you can figure out who the woman is. I hope I made it at least SOMEWHAT obvious. Reviews are always love. **


	10. Author's note

Hey

So I've pretty much decided that while I want to keep writing, I've forgotten where this story was supposed to go. So I've given the story and characters to another author who said she wanted to write on a similar premise (focusing on America's daughter) but wants to pretty much reinvent the characters. She's not going to pick up where I left off, but pretty much start over apparently. So I'm really sorry but while I'm not going to be finishing this story someone else kinda is going to.

Meg


	11. Author's note pt 2

Okay wow I'm sorry about all the confusion surrounding this story.

Anyways! I wasn't able to provide a name to the new author because when I last talked to her she said she wanted to move accounts and wouldn't be publishing her stories on her old one. That said I think she's just moved and said she should start publishing chapters soon! So that's that.

Also from what I understand she is NOT going to be finishing this story but plans to go off on a completely different path using the OCs from this story (so Martha and Alice) which I am really sorry about but it is probably going to be better than whatever I had planned.

Anyways her new username is Taneo so feel free to check it out whenever it come out! :)


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